Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation

• Among the key issues identified was that 20% of Australian children experience learning difficulties, developmental concerns, developmental delay or are found to have disability.
• This presents another challenge: which government systems outside the NDIS will embrace the large number of children who need developmental support?

What is a developmental delay?

• Many things can cause developmental delay.
• Developmental delay is a term commonly used in clinical practice, but not included in official diagnostic manuals like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.
• Developmental disabilities are included in official diagnostic manuals and include autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disability, specific learning disorders, communication disorders and developmental coordination disorder.

Developmental delay and the NDIS

The NDIS has a specific definition of developmental delay which encompasses three areas. Children are considered to have a developmental delay if their delay is:
• Around 11% of all NDIS participants are classified as having a developmental delay.
• There are also a significant number of children with developmental delay who are not within the NDIS.
• While there is a general community view that developmental delay is an increasing issue in Australia, there is a lack of data tracking over time to understand if this view is accurate.

Supporting children with developmental delay

• There has always been a large number of children experiencing developmental delay.
• But the fragmentation across state/territory and Commonwealth health and disability systems has meant the true scale of children struggling with development has not been clear.
• This figure is estimated to be a small proportion of the 20% of children who meet criteria for developmental delay.

Meeting children and families where they are

• Its future thriving is highly dependent on how our community supports children with developmental delay.
• Children with developmental delays receive supports within clinics, rather than in the natural settings in which they live and function every day.
• Building capacity to support children with developmental delay in their everyday contexts – at home, in childcare, kindergartens or preschools, in the local community – will be crucial to ensuring children with developmental delay and their families thrive into later childhood.

• These findings support research that proves contact-based programs like This Is My Brave are the best avenue for fighting mental health stigma.
• This Is My Brave will establish August as Teen Mental Health Month to promote teen mental health awareness and to encourage everyone to start conversations about mental health that could prove to be life-saving.
• This Is My Brave will continue its work across the United States until they have normalized conversations around mental health.
• Executive Director Erin Gallagher says, “The stigma around mental health is the one thing that keeps people from asking for help.

• These findings support research that proves contact-based programs like This Is My Brave are the best avenue for fighting mental health stigma.
• This Is My Brave will establish August as Teen Mental Health Month to promote teen mental health awareness and to encourage everyone to start conversations about mental health that could prove to be life-saving.
• This Is My Brave will continue its work across the United States until they have normalized conversations around mental health.
• Executive Director Erin Gallagher says, “The stigma around mental health is the one thing that keeps people from asking for help.

• Mizzen+Main announced their partnership with three charitable organizations to share 50% of the proceeds from the sales of their specialty t-shirts in honor of Veterans Day.
• Veterans Day is a day in my mind to just say 'thank you.'
• The special t-shirts are Mizzen+Mains way of saying thank you to the following organizations working to serve veterans across America.
• With strength, courage, and honor, they stand with our SEALs, SWCCs, veterans, and their families with unwavering support.