If you're worried about your child's development, and someone has told you the NDIS funds early intervention, you're now trying to work out what that actually means and where to start. This page covers who's eligible, what's funded, and the steps to access support — in plain English, with sources you can check.
What "early intervention" means under the NDIS
Early intervention is the support your child can access as early as possible to help them grow, learn, and take part in everyday life. The NDIS funds this through a pathway called the Early Childhood Approach, which covers children younger than 9.
The thing most parents are surprised to learn first: children under 6 do not need a formal diagnosis to get help. If a health or education professional has flagged concerns about how your child plays, moves, communicates, or takes care of themselves, an Early Childhood Partner can connect you to support.
The NDIS describes the Early Childhood Approach as "family-centred and strengths-based" — the supports work around your family, not the other way around, and your knowledge of your child sits at the centre.
Sources: NDIS (early childhood approach for children younger than 9); NDIS (getting help through the early childhood approach).
Who is eligible
Three things must be true for your child to access the NDIS.
Residence
Your child must be one of the following:
- An Australian citizen
- A permanent resident
- A holder of a Protected Special Category Visa
They also need to be living in Australia.
Age and developmental need
| Age | What is required |
|---|---|
| Under 6 | Concerns about development raised by a health or education professional. No formal diagnosis required. |
| 6 to under 9 | Generally a confirmed disability. The pathway is still the Early Childhood Approach, but the criteria match the standard NDIS rules. |
| 9 and over | Confirmed disability — intellectual, cognitive, neurological, sensory, physical, or psychosocial — that substantially reduces functional capacity, or clear benefit from early intervention now to reduce future need. |
The NDIS calls these the disability requirements and early intervention requirements. Your access decision will tell you which of the two your child has met.
Support needs
Your child must need supports because of their disability or delay. The NDIS funds supports that relate to the impairment — not everyday parenting costs, and not supports that should be provided by health, education, or other mainstream systems.
Sources: NDIS (am I eligible); NDIS (early childhood approach).
What the NDIS funds for young children
Once your child has an NDIS plan, every funded support must meet the "reasonable and necessary" criteria. Each support has to:
- Relate to your child's disability or delay
- Help them work toward their goals
- Help them take part in social, community, or family life
- Be value for money
- Be effective and beneficial
- Be on the official NDIS supports list
Therapy and clinical supports
For children under 9, the funded therapy supports typically include:
- Speech pathology
- Occupational therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Psychology and behaviour support
- Early childhood intervention programs
- Key worker support — a single professional who coordinates your child's care
A key worker is a feature of the Early Childhood Approach that many families find reassuring. Raising Children Network describes the key worker as "the person you'll see and talk to most in your early childhood intervention service" — one steady relationship rather than a parade of clinicians.
Equipment and assistive technology
If your child needs equipment because of their disability — communication devices, mobility aids, hearing or vision supports — the plan can fund it.
Capacity-building for parents
This is funding for you to learn strategies, attend training, and get coordination support to find your way around the system. The NDIS treats parent skills as part of the child's developmental support, not as an extra.
What the NDIS does not fund
| The NDIS funds | The NDIS does not fund |
|---|---|
| Speech pathology, OT, physio, psychology related to disability | Standard childcare or preschool fees |
| Disability-related equipment | Everyday food, clothing, household costs |
| Behaviour support and key-worker time | School tuition |
| Parent capacity-building and training | Medical appointments and prescriptions — these sit with Medicare |
| Approved replacement supports in specific circumstances | General developmental activities every child does |
Since 3 October 2024, participants can only spend their NDIS funds on items formally listed as NDIS supports. There is a separate replacement-supports list for specific cases.
Sources: NDIS (supports funded by the NDIS); NDIS (summary of legislation changes); Raising Children Network (quality in early childhood intervention).
How to actually start
The first step is the most overwhelming, so here is exactly what it looks like.
Step 1: Talk to someone who knows your child
Speak with your GP, paediatrician, child health nurse, or your child's early childhood educator. Tell them what you are worried about. Ask them to write a short note describing what they observe — this becomes evidence later.
You do not need a GP referral to contact an Early Childhood Partner. You can call directly.
Step 2: Contact your local Early Childhood Partner
Early Childhood Partners are local organisations the NDIS funds to deliver the Early Childhood Approach. They are staffed by paediatric professionals — speech pathologists, occupational therapists, early childhood educators, and key workers.
To find yours:
- Search the locations directory at ndis.gov.au/contact/locations
- Or call the NDIA on 1800 800 110 (interpreter line: TIS National 131450)
In remote and very remote areas where there is no Early Childhood Partner, the NDIA works directly with families. Your GP, child health nurse, or educator can help you gather evidence and submit straight to the NDIA.
Step 3: Submit an Access Request
If your Early Childhood Partner thinks your child may be eligible, they help you complete the NDIS Access Request Form. You can also download it yourself from ndis.gov.au.
You will send in supporting evidence — the GP letter, any therapy reports, observations from the educator, and any assessments you already have. For children under 6, the Early Childhood Partner can often gather what's needed without a formal specialist diagnosis.
The NDIA aims to make a decision within 21 days of receiving a complete application.
Step 4: Planning meeting
If your child is approved, you will have a planning meeting with your Early Childhood Partner or an NDIA planner. Together you set goals and agree the funded supports for the plan period.
If your child shows several signs of developmental delay and you would rather start with a clearer picture before making the call, find a paediatric early intervention service in your area.
Sources: NDIS (how to apply); NDIS (getting help through the early childhood approach); RCH Melbourne Clinical Practice Guidelines (Early Childhood Approach).
What changed in 2024 and 2025
The rules around NDIS funding for children have shifted recently. Here is what matters in practice.
- 3 October 2024 — the NDIS supports list became binding. The NDIS can now only fund supports formally listed as NDIS supports, with a separate "replacement supports" list for specific situations. Most paediatric therapy supports a young child uses are unaffected, but the rule has tightened what can be claimed.
- 3 October 2024 — clearer split between NDIS and mainstream. The disability and early intervention requirements were updated to make it explicit that the NDIS funds disability supports, not supports that health, education, or community systems should provide.
- 1 January 2025 — impairment notices. New participants now receive a written notice listing the impairments they met access for. Funded supports must relate to those impairments.
- 19 May 2025 — three-month funding periods. New plans typically have funding split into three-month periods so families can pace their spend over the plan year. Earlier plans had 12-month periods. If your plan was approved before this date, the older rules may still apply — check with your planner.
Older plans transition to the new framework over time, so what's in your plan today may not yet reflect everything in the latest legislation summary.
Sources: NDIS (summary of legislation changes); NDIS (supports funded by the NDIS).
What happens at age 9
The Early Childhood Approach ends when your child turns 9. Your Early Childhood Partner usually starts the conversation about transition about 12 months before that birthday.
There are three possible outcomes:
- Continued NDIS support through a Local Area Coordinator instead of an Early Childhood Partner. This applies if your child still has clear, ongoing disability support needs.
- Transition to mainstream supports — school disability supports, Medicare-funded therapy, community services — if the level of support needed has changed.
- No further support needed, if your child has caught up developmentally and no longer needs disability-specific funding.
If you disagree with a decision at any point — for example, an access request that's declined — you have the right to request an internal review. If that outcome is still unsatisfactory, the next pathway is the Administrative Review Tribunal. An Early Childhood Partner, Local Area Coordinator, or disability advocacy service can help you through that process.
Sources: NDIS (early childhood approach); NDIS (summary of legislation changes); RCH Melbourne Clinical Practice Guidelines (Early Childhood Approach).
Where to go from here
If you've read this far, the most useful thing you can do tonight is one of these:
- Call the NDIA on 1800 800 110 and ask to be connected to your local Early Childhood Partner.
- Book a longer GP appointment to talk through your concerns and ask for a written summary.
- Speak with your child's early childhood educator about what they observe at care.
For broader context on what each kind of paediatric support looks like, the early intervention services hub covers what is funded and how it works in practice. If your worries centre on specific signs — for example, language that is not coming together — the speech delay concerns hub explains what is typical and what is worth raising with a clinician.
When you are ready to look for a specific therapist near you, search NDIS-registered early intervention providers.
The most important step is the first one. Early support makes a real difference, and asking for it is your right.
Information on this page is general in nature and current as of April 2026. NDIS rules change. Always confirm details at ndis.gov.au or by calling the NDIA on 1800 800 110.