Early intervention and children: evidence for the early childhood approach
Early intervention and children go together in the NDIS through the early childhood approach, which supports children younger than 9 who have a disability or delays in their development. The idea is to get support to families early, so a child can build skills, take part in everyday activities, and be included in their community. This guide explains, in plain language, how it works and what kind of evidence helps. Only the NDIA decides who is eligible, so nothing here is a guarantee of funding.
If you are a parent reading this, you are probably tired and want a clear answer. Let us keep it simple and grounded in what the NDIA actually says.
What the early childhood approach is
The NDIA’s guide to the early childhood approach describes it as the way the NDIS supports children younger than 9 with delays in their development or disability. It aims to support young children early in life to build their skills and capabilities, take part in daily activities, and be included in their community.
It works differently from the rest of the NDIS in a few ways. Families work with an early childhood partner, which is a local organisation the NDIA funds, with teams who have experience working with young children and their families. Children aged 9 and above work with a local area coordinator instead. Part of the approach is called early connections, which can give you and your child quick access to supports even if your child is not eligible for the NDIS, including connections to community and other government services.
One thing worth saying plainly. This is about supporting the child and the family and building the child’s skills and participation. It is not about fixing or changing the child. The NDIA’s own framing is about a child learning and developing to their full potential in everyday settings like home, childcare, playgroup and preschool.
What early intervention means
The NDIA explains on its page about the early intervention eligibility requirements that early intervention can improve a person’s ability to do everyday tasks by providing support as early as possible. It can reduce the impact an impairment has on functional capacity, which is the ability to do everyday tasks, and it can build the skills of a carer. Getting supports early can mean fewer supports are needed in the future.
To meet the early intervention requirements, a person has an impairment that is likely to be permanent, and the early intervention supports will help with at least one of the following: improving how they move around, communicate, socialise, learn, look after themselves and organise their life; preventing functional capacity from getting worse; improving functional capacity; or supporting their informal supports, such as building a family member’s skills to help them. A person can meet both the disability and early intervention requirements at the same time.
Two different age pathways to understand
There are a couple of age points that matter, and mixing them up causes a lot of confusion.
- Younger than 9: the early childhood approach is how the NDIS supports children younger than 9 who have a disability or delays in their development. This is the pathway, the early childhood partner, the whole way of working.
- Younger than 6 with developmental delay: developmental delay is a specific route into early intervention. The NDIA says developmental delay means a child finds it much harder to do everyday things other children their age can do, and needs extra help compared with children the same age. For a child to meet the early intervention requirements because of developmental delay, they must be younger than 6, their presentation must meet the definition in the NDIS Act, and they must meet the residency requirements.
So a five year old might come in through developmental delay, while an eight year old with a disability comes in through the broader early childhood approach and the disability or early intervention requirements. Both are children younger than 9 working with an early childhood partner.
What evidence helps, and who can provide it
For early intervention generally, the NDIA looks for evidence from your doctor, specialist or treating professional that confirms the impairment is permanent and that early intervention is needed. The NDIA also considers how the impairment might change over time, how long the person has had it, whether there has been a significant change, and whether needs are likely to change soon.
For a child younger than 6 with developmental delay, the NDIA describes needing evidence that the child is aged under 6 and meets the residence requirements, plus evidence from the child’s doctor, specialist or treating professional showing a developmental delay that is due to mental or physical impairments, substantially reduces the child’s functional capacity compared with other children the same age, and means the child needs specialist services from more than one professional working as a team for longer than 12 months.
In everyday terms, helpful evidence comes from the professionals who already know your child, and it describes what your child can do, where they need extra help, and how that compares with other children the same age. Concrete, everyday examples help: what mornings look like, what support is needed at childcare or playgroup, what a hard day involves. You can ask a treating professional to describe or confirm in writing what they already know about your child’s development. We do not give clinical advice, and we do not tell you to seek any particular assessment, test or therapy.
For more on evidence generally, see what evidence do I need for the NDIS, and for how the requirements fit together, see the NDIS disability requirements explained.
Where MagMindLab fits
MagMindLab was founded by a social worker who is also a parent of an NDIS participant, so this comes from real experience of supporting a child through the process. Our Evidence Alignment report reads the reports and letters you already have against the current NDIS rules, and shows where the evidence appears to support your child’s situation, where the gaps are, and what you might do next. It does not decide eligibility and it never gives clinical advice. You can also browse all our NDIS evidence guides. If you have concerns about your child’s development, you can also contact the NDIS directly or speak with an early childhood partner in your area.
Frequently asked questions
What age does the early childhood approach cover?
The early childhood approach is how the NDIS supports children younger than 9 who have a disability or delays in their development. Children aged 9 and above work with a local area coordinator instead of an early childhood partner.
What is developmental delay for the NDIS?
The NDIA describes developmental delay as when a child finds it much harder to do everyday things other children their age can do, and needs extra help compared with children the same age. To meet the early intervention requirements through developmental delay, a child must be younger than 6, meet the definition in the NDIS Act, and meet the residency requirements.
What evidence helps for a young child?
Evidence from the doctor, specialist or treating professional who knows your child, describing the impairment or developmental delay, how it affects everyday tasks, and how it compares with other children the same age. Concrete everyday examples help. You can ask a treating professional to confirm in writing what they already know.
Is the early childhood approach about fixing my child?
No. It is about supporting the child and the family and building the child’s skills and participation in everyday settings like home, childcare and playgroup. The aim is inclusion and helping your child learn and develop to their full potential, not changing who they are.