Growing pains: The link between inklings and thriving kids

Two big changes are underway in how Australia supports children with developmental differences.

The first is Inklings, an early intervention program for babies showing early signs of autism or developmental delay. The second is Thriving Kids, a new government plan to move many children with mild to moderate needs away from the NDIS and into a different support system.

Both share a common thread: Professor Andrew Whitehouse. He helped create Inklings and also sat on the 2023 NDIS Review panel that recommended “foundational supports” outside the NDIS — a key step that led to Thriving Kids.

For supporters, this shows Australia is finally matching research with policy. For critics, it raises tough questions about whether the same approach that reduces autism diagnoses in babies should also shape national policy about moving autistic children off the NDIS.

Inklings: Early support for babies

Inklings is aimed at babies aged 6 to 18 months who show early signs of developmental differences.
Parents are coached using video feedback to better understand their baby’s unique ways of communicating and engaging. The goal is not to “fix” behaviours but to help families connect and respond in supportive ways.

Professor Whitehouse says:
“Early support, when it is needed most, will help families at a crucial time in their child’s development, providing long-term benefits for the child’s future.”

Trials suggest that children who took part were less likely to receive an autism diagnosis by age three. Supporters see this as reducing disability later in life, while critics warn it could delay or deny children access to understanding and support.

As autistic advocate Heidi La Paglia Reid put it:

“Why is a lack of diagnosis a good outcome for children? It isn’t.”

Governments in WA and SA are backing Inklings as a world-first program, with funding to expand it to more families.

Thriving Kids: A new direction for the NDIS

The federal government has announced Thriving Kids, a $2 billion initiative to start in July 2026. It is designed for children with mild to moderate autism or developmental delay who might otherwise join the NDIS.

Instead of individual NDIS plans, families will access supports through everyday services—schools, GPs, community health and new Medicare-funded therapies.
Disability Minister Mark Butler said:

“Diverting this group of kids over time from the NDIS is an important element of making the scheme sustainable and returning it to its original intent.”

The government has promised children already on the NDIS will stay there, and no one will be moved until Thriving Kids is fully in place.

Concerns from families and advocates

The response from families and advocates is mixed.
Some welcome easier access to early supports without the complexity of the NDIS. Others fear fewer services, longer waits, and children slipping through the cracks.

A mother of autistic children told Adelaide Now:
“This is prejudice, not policy. Cutting support for children who need it is not a solution.”

Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) said governments “can’t seriously expect to set up a fully functional system to replace NDIS supports in under a year.”

The Australian Autism Alliance welcomed investment but said it was “deeply concerned” that changes may undermine the rights of autistic children and their families.

What this means for families

Children already in the NDIS will not be removed. Changes apply to new entrants after mid-2027.

Inklings and Thriving Kids are different. Inklings is about early parent-led support in infancy; Thriving Kids is about school and health-based supports for older children.

Uncertainty remains. Advocates want firm guarantees that no child will miss out and that autistic voices will guide design.

The bottom line

Inklings and Thriving Kids are bold steps toward changing how Australia supports children with developmental needs. They could make help more accessible and reduce pressure on the NDIS.

But families are right to ask: Will the new system be ready? Will autistic identity be respected, not erased? And will governments listen to the people most affected?

As one parent summed it up:

“Every dollar spent early saves society hundreds in adulthood. But only if we spend it wisely.”