Diagnosis and care in New Zealand

Hi All. Can anyone assist with views about diagnosis and care of ASD in NZ? Particularly for little ones under 4. 

Many thanks

  • Many thanks for your help.

  • Hi there, kiwi board member with a bit of NZ experience.

    It's going to be a lottery based on which DHB you are in. Some are great. Others are rubbish.

    It would be good to get the support of Plunket or whoever is your local well child provider before you approach the GP, the Tamariki Ora book has developmental screening information. 

    Altogether Autism and Autism NZ have great resources.The Framework for Autism is published on the Ministry of Health website(FANZ)

    Getting a diagnosis prior to school means you can shop around for a school that will work for your kid. Meet with the SENCO and the new entrants teacher as a minimum (principal is also very useful) With a diagnosis the school can apply for assistance but even the most severe children don't get more than 10 hours 1:1 - but good schools are terrific at finding their way around this.

    We went private in the end for some complicated reasons - as long as your provider is qualified and using what's recommended in the FANZ to screen, then you can ask for referrals into the public system with an existing diagnosis.

    WINZ and Study Link both have the capacity for disability payment - not sure if it is fully or partially means tested. We've found it useful for accessing therapy for SD20 who was diagnosed ADHD this year, because adult services are non existent here in Southern.

    If your referral is rejected then a complaint can be worth doing!