FAQs

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the science of understanding and improving socially significant behavior.Our Behaviour Specialists (BCBA) will work with each individual and develop a program based on their own individualised needs.

BT involves a proactive collaboration between parent, child, and therapist.  As part of the process, we identify any obstacles that may be holding your child back from fully experiencing the social and learning opportunities that are open to them.  In a safe, open, and fun environment we work on skills that are important to you and your child, to support your child to reach their full potential.

Behavioural Therapy is for any person who would benefit from support with a particular behaviour or behaviours. Behavioural therapy can be used for a range of difficulties including sleep, feeding, social communication and general development and learning.

An FBA is a process of gathering information to determine why a person is engaging in certain behaviours. There are different methods of gathering such information including rating scales, asking questions and directly observing the behaviour.

A Behaviour Support Plan is a plan that is developed based on information gathered through the Functional Behaviour Assessment. The plans contain proactive and reactive strategies. More information on what is involved in a Behaviour Support Plan can be seen in our blog section.

All of our therapists have a minimum of an undergraduate degree in psychological studies and further qualifications in Behaviour Analysis. All therapists are registered with a professional body with either AHPRA or APS. Behaviour Analysts, this means that our therapists have completed the required amount of training and supervision to provide Behaviour Analysis.

Behavioural Therapists, it’s our goal to understand behaviour. From our perspective, no behaviour happens without reason and because a child is bold or naturally aggressive. Rather behaviour is a form of communication, it is a form of somebody telling us they want something, or they want to avoid something. We identify the reason for behaviour and develop evidence based strategies that reduce behaviour by teaching new skills and making changes to the person’s environment.

Yes, we offer school support. We are regularly contacted by parents and teachers in relation to behaviours that may be interfering with the child’s learning and classroom management. We work collaboratively with school staff to develop a plan of effective strategies to reduce any behaviours of concern and promote learning in the classroom. We also offer school support in the form of professional development for teachers and IEP consultation.

Yes of course. Saying no is an important skill to have, although we do not advocate teaching overcompliance, saying no too often can create a daily struggle and have a negative impact on your child’s life. Through meeting you and your child, we will identify possible reasons for your child constantly saying no. Based on this, we will develop alternative supports and communication with your child and support both of you through this process.

Being able to go to the toilet by yourself with full independent is our long term goal,  however, to reach this goal there can be lots of small steps along the way and it can take time. Our approach to toilet training is quite systematic initially and becomes less so with success. We begin by ensuring you and your child are ready and prepared, we then begin and assist with any issues that may arise throughout.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme or NDIS is a new way of supporting people with a permanent and significant disability; to build skills and capacity so they are able to live an ordinary life and participate in the community.

The National Disability Insurance Agency or NDIA is an independent agency responsible for implementing the NDIS.

It is responsible for providing information and referrals, links to services and activities, individualised plans and where necessary, funded supports.

The NDIS is about a new way of communicating with participants who have a disability and working out what supports they need.

The NDIS is designed to help participants achieve goals in various aspects of their life. It’s about giving participants control and choice.

The old system was inefficient, fragmented, unfair, underfunded and most people with a disability didn’t get the support they needed.

It was run on a state-by-state basis and there was no national consistency. Most importantly, participants didn’t get enough say in the sort of assistance they needed.

The first step is to contact the NDIA either on 1800 800 110 or visit  www.ndis.gov.au to make sure you are eligible. To be eligible you will need to be meet the below requirements.

1. You must live in Australia and are an Australian Citizen, or have paperwork that gives you permission to live in Australia permanently.
2. You are under the age of 65.
3. If your disability is likely to be with you for life and substantially impacts how you manage everyday activities.

Yes! The NDIS was created to give you certainty that you or your family member you will receive the support you need not just now, and not just until the government changes, but over the course of your whole lifetime.

For more information about the NDIS visit www.ndis.gov.au or you can send us an enquiry.

You’re required to attain evidence concerning your disability from a General Practitioner (GP) or a suitably qualified professional, you will then submit this to NDIS along with your application. For more information visit https://www.ndis.gov.au/

Once NDIA confirms you are eligible, the NDIA will arrange a sit down with a planner, they will help determine and develop a plan specifically to suit your support needs.

The planner will review the information in your access request form and any existing assessments will also be taken into account.

Very important! Before meeting your planner have a think about what it is you want to achieve. Think about what works well with the supports you currently receive and what supports do not.

Your planner will talk with you about everything from your strengths, abilities and opportunities for development to your support needs for daily living and participation in the community. The key here is to make sure you get those ‘reasonable and necessary’ supports you need to ensure you are able to work towards your goals.

Can I use more than one provider? And can I change providers?

The great thing about NDIS is that you can shop around and choose different providers for the different types of supports allocated in a plan.

There is no obligation to stick with one service provider, you can have multiple.

For a list of registered NDIS providers visit https://www.ndis.gov.au/

When meeting with either an NDIS planner or Local Area Coordinator or both, this process does vary depending on the subject matter that needs to be covered.

General questions can include:

• Who does your family consist of?
• What is your disability and how does this impact you?
• What activities do you enjoy?
• What activities do you go to on each day of the week? How do you get to them?
• What goals do you have?
• Rate your support needs on a scale. Low being 1 and 5 being high support.
• Rate your health on a scale eg. good, very good, excellent, poor.
• How would you like to manage your funding?

You, immediate family members, carers or advocates. Anyone can be present if the participants would like them there.

Absolutely! The NDIS was established to give you more choice and control over how, when and where your supports are provided.

The NDIS has been set up to fund all sorts of supports. No two participants are entirely the same so the supports in your plan are tailored to your individual needs.

These can include therapies, equipment, home modifications, mobility equipment, taking part in community activities, assistance with employment and a range of other activities. This is about you living a full life, not just getting by.

One of the great things about the NDIS is that it is designed to suit the needs of every participant. For most participants funding will cover things like:

• Daily personal activities
• Transport to participate in the community, social, economic and daily life activities
• Workplace support to gain or maintain employment
• Therapeutic supports, including behaviour support
• Help with household tasks
• Assessment of aids or equipment, including set up and training
• Home modification design and installation
• Mobility equipment
• Vehicle modifications

A support will not be funded if it does not relate to your disability, if it duplicates support that is already funded by Medicare or Departments of Education for example. If it relates to day-to-day living costs that are not related to a participant’s support needs, or if it is likely to cause harm to participants or others.

While the NDIS gives you choice and the control over the support you receive and the service providers you use, it also gives you a say in how your funding is managed. Your funding can be:

• Agency Managed – this is where your provider(s) claim directly from the NDIA.
• Plan Manager – funding in your plan is allocated to a third party to manage the financial transactions in your plan.
• Self-Managed – you (or your nominee) directly manage the funds.
• Automated Payments (transport only) – funds are deposited into an NDIS bank account weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
• Combination – a combination of the above options can be used to meet your individual needs.

It is important that once you get your plan, all you current service providers are notified and either provided with a copy of the plan, or given details from the plan so a service agreement can be written.

The next step is to start working towards achieving your goals. Your Local Area Coordinator or LAC or Support Coordinator, if you have one funded in your plan, can help you to start your NDIS plan. This is called implementing your plan. They can help you:

• Register for MyGov and activate your myplace account visit the Starting my plan page.
• Connect with community and other government services.
• Help you find providers who meet your needs and will help you achieve your goals.
• Make sure service agreements and bookings are in place with your providers.

Your LAC or Support Coordinator will work with you to get your plan started so you are on your way to achieving your goals. This can include learning how to choose the right providers for you and what to do if things aren’t working out. For more information visit starting your plan section.

Can you explain when a Local Area Coordinator would provide support to help me implement my plan and when the NDIA might fund either support connection or support coordination to help me implement my plan? A Local Area Coordinator will provide support connection to most participants, except where there are complex situations, In these situations, support coordination may be funded in the plan.

Where there are no Local Area Coordinators in place, the NDIA may fund Support Coordination until a Local Area Coordinator comes on board in each region.

What happens if I want to change my plan? The NDIS is a new way of approaching disability and you may not capture everything you require in your first plan.

If you think your plan doesn’t accurately reflect your needs, you can:

1. Request a review of your current plan, or
2. Lodge a change of circumstances, if your circumstances have changed.

What funding and support can I get? The level and type of funding and support you can access depends on the level and types of disability you have, and where you live. If you live in an NDIS area, you should check if you meet NDIS eligibility requirements.

Are there any limits to the funding available for my plan? The level of funding depends on what it takes to meet your ‘reasonable and necessary’ needs. It’s about getting the plan right for you because one size DOES NOT fit all. Under the NDIS people are funded and reviewed on an annual basis.

Will the funding be flexible? As your situation or condition changes, you can apply to have your funded plan adjusted according to your needs.

What if you are unhappy with the planning process or final plan? If you are unhappy with your NDIS plan or it doesn’t meet your needs, Butter Fish Services can work with you and the NDIA to resolve the issue.

However, the better prepared you are before your planning meeting, the more likely you are going to get the plan you want.

Are copies of plans automatically supplied to my GP? No. The NDIA will not provide copies of your plan to your GP. It’s up to you if you want to share a copy of your plan with your GP.

It may be useful for your GP to be aware of what outcomes you would like to achieve and what services are funded in your NDIS plan, as these may complement other services available through Medicare.

If I feel a Support Coordinator is not acting in my best interests, or is excluding me from some decisions, can I change coordinators? Yes! You have the choice to change your Support Coordinator at any time. More information on Support Coordination is available in this Fact Sheet (PDF).

When will my plan be reviewed? As an NDIS participant, you will have a scheduled plan review date specified in your plan by the NDIA. This is can be 6 or 12 months and in some cases, 2 years. The NDIA will conduct a review of your plan before the plan’s expiration date.

How do I request a review of my plan?

If you are unhappy with a National Disability Insurance Agency decision about your NDIS Plan, you can submit an application for a plan review.

However, requesting a review cannot be done in the first 3 months of the NDIS plan.

A request for review can be made by:

• Submitting a written request to:

Chief Executive Officer
National Disability Insurance Agency
GPO Box 700 Canberra ACT 2601

• Calling 1800 800 110 and talking to customer support at an NDIA office.
• Sending an email to: enquiries@ndis.gov.au

Your Local Area Coordinatior can assist with this process.
What if you are still dissatisfied after a review of the decision?

If you are still not happy after the review of the decision, you can apply for an Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) independent review.

You cannot ask the AAT to review a decision until the NDIA has reviewed it. For information about applying for an AAT review, visit the AAT website or call 1800 228 333.