Over many years, there has been a lot of discussion about ADHD and the NDIS. This is because ADHD rarely meets the criteria for a severe and permanent disability as required for NDIS eligibility.
Here are some key reasons why that is the case:
- Severity and Permanence: The NDIS requires that a disability be both severe and permanent. ADHD symptoms can vary widely in severity and may be managed effectively with treatment, such as medication and behavioural therapy. Currently, the NDIS argue that ADHD is best managed through mainstream systems.
- Functional Impact: Eligibility for NDIS support is based on the level of functional impairment and how significantly it affects a person’s ability to undertake the activities of daily life. From an NDIS perspective, the vast majority of individuals with ADHD have insufficient evidence that the diagnosis causes substantial functional limitations that meet the NDIS Access Criteria.
- Comorbid Conditions: Individuals with ADHD may be eligible for NDIS support if they have co-occurring conditions that significantly impact their daily functioning, such as autism or intellectual disabilities. Although they have ADHD, that diagnosis is not the one that leads to them being eligible for the NDIS.
- Diagnosis-Agnostic Approach: The NDIS operates on a “diagnosis-agnostic” basis, meaning eligibility is determined by the functional impact of the condition rather than just the diagnosis itself. This approach aims to tailor support to individual needs rather than specific diagnoses. In most instances, when applying those criteria, ADHD does not meet the threshold for NDIS eligibility.
There is likely to continue to be significant pushback from people who believe that the functional impact of their ADHD should make them eligible for NDIS supports. Currently, the best information available from expert medical and allied health professionals is that the functional impact is not significant enough to meet NDIS access criteria for the vast majority of those with an ADHD diagnosis.
Medical and allied health professionals have a responsibility to their clients and the broader Australian community to test eligibility when appropriate and not create false hope for those they know full well are not going to meet NDIS eligibility criteria based on the functional impact of their disability.