Navigating the crazy world that is the National Disability Insurance Scheme can be a bumpy ride. I get it. With new found flexibility and access, also comes an ever changing, complex system that is far from “user friendly”.

So what do you really need to know? Well here are my top tips for attending that first, dreaded planning meeting.

1. Plan ahead, and organise the meeting at a time/location that works for you. Many planners will also do online video meetings if that is what suits you best!
2. Have all of your paperwork ready prior to the meeting. This may include medical reports, school reports, history, anything that will substantiate what you want and why you need it.
3. Take support! Many times a friend, therapist or local expert can accompany you to the meeting so that your voice is heard.
4. Here’s the hardest part; as a parent, I am sure you have a laundry list of all the things you love about your child, but today is not the day for that. At the planning meeting, you need to clearly define the worst days. The days where you need the most support, when things are seemingly never going to get better. This way, you will get money for the things you need, and the things the want.
5. Have a clear idea of what you would like your child to achieve. The NDIS is very goal-driven, so having a very clear, functional outcome that can be facilitated by NDIS funding will go a long way. For example “due to my daughter’s poor lower limb strength and balance, she is unable to ride a bike, and have the independence to participate with her peers.”
6. Be prepared that you will not get all that you ask for- and that is ok. You have the first 3 months of your plan to appeal, or lodge a change of circumstances (because, as we all know, things can change quickly!)

So now that you have attended your planning meeting, how do you make sense of this all important document? What choices do you have surrounding the way you manage, and spend your funding?

To break it down simply, a plan’s funding can be managed in one of three ways:

1. Agency-managed

PROS: The NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) manages your funding, and does all the book-keeping and record-keeping. Providers invoice the NDIA directly for services, meaning you don’t need to be good with money to pay multiple therapists.

CONS: You may only use registered providers (many providers, like myself are not registered, due to the significant upfront time and financial costs). You may never meet the person controlling your money.

2. Plan-managed

PROS: A provider (a plan manager) supports you to manage, keep track of and spend your funding. This allows you to be hands on in the choices, and hands off in the “money management”. You may choose whatever provider you like, as long as they provide you and the plan management with the necessary information. You can learn how to self-manage your plan as you go.

CONS: You need to specify in your planning meeting that you want a plan manager. Sometimes, an extra step between you and the funding, or you and the provider can slow things down, and cause miscomummication to occur.

3. Self-managed

PROS: Self-managing your funding gives you the ultimate flexibility and choice with how and when to spend your funding. You can negotiate costs directly with providers, hire people directly (e.g. support workers), and set your own terms on how and when supports are delivered.

CONS: It can sometimes be overwhelming being completely in charge of all of your funding. Sourcing providers, keeping track of service agreements, invoicing and reporting can be draining.

Take a deep breath- we are almost there.

So now you have an NDIS plan, and you’ve decided how you’re going to manage your money (there are no right or wrong ways, only the way that best suits you). I bet you’re all thinking the same thing- how and where can I find an Exercise Physiologist to work with us?

Exercise Physiology comes under the all important category of “Capacity Building”, under either CB Health and Wellbeing, or CB Daily Activity. As an Exercise Physiologist, I am purely interesting in “building you up”, be it physically or emotionally.

Where can I find an Exercise Physiologist on the NDIS?

Well firstly, you’re already in the right place, just click below!

But if I am not the best fit, or we don’t live near each other, you can find an index of Exercise Physiologists on the National Body website at essa.org.au. If you are agency-managed, and require an Exercise Physiologist that is NDIS-registered, you can find a list here.

I hope this was helpful- if you ever have a query or comment, feel free to contact me, I offer free 30 minute consultations, with no expectations!

Josh

I am sure that the current restrictions in WA have come as an unwelcome shock to many of you. With the commencement of school being postponed, many families are uncertain about the coming days and weeks, especially those with children with additional needs.

While therapy may be on hold (or online), and school may be postponed, here are some ways that you can remain active at home, and “improve your move”.

1. Pressure

For many young people on the spectrum, sensory needs play a large role in their ability to regulate and participate in activities. Finding ways to incorporate pressure (i.e. proprioception) into the day can improve self-regulation, manage anxiety and support learning.

Exercise is a great way to get lots and lots of proprioceptive input! Try some of the below ideas for a simple, sensory, minimal equipment workout.

2. Motor Planning

For many (myself included!), planning complex movements can sometimes be very challenging, due to the number of parts, or the amount of brain power needed to sequence them together.

Practising movements that cross the midline, challenge our balance, and provide our brain with learning opportunities improve our motor skills and increase confidence to participate in physical activity.

Try some of the moves below!

3. Active Play

Lastly, make sure to include some create, physical activity into your day! This can be anything, from dancing, to Exer-Games, chasey in the backyard, shooting on a basketball hoop, kicking or throwing a ball, the list goes on!

Aim to move for at least 30 minutes a day, aiming for an hour.

Stay safe, until next time…

Josh

When I started university I had no idea that I would be in the career I am now. In fact, when I enrolled I knew only a few things:

1. I liked kids and young people
2. I wanted to help people
3. I wanted to work in a hands-on environment in the community
4. I loved exercise and movement

It wasn’t until I began working at a program for young people with movement difficulties in 2014 that I worked with my first client with autism. It was HARD. Every session was filled with challenges that I had not previously considered or given a thought to. How did he sleep that night? Have there been changes to his medications? How am I assisting him to regulate his sensory needs? Does he understand the cues I am giving him? Are we safe in this space?

These were questions that until now I had never asked myself, or even considered when facilitating exercise for young people. Over the next 5 years, I would go on a journey of ups and downs, personal and professional development, and many, many hours working with young people on the spectrum. Over this time I have worked with countless amazing, kind and determined kids, teens and adults who overcome obstacles that I previously would not have seen to achieve amazing things. I have learnt so much from them, and I hope they have learnt a little from me too!

In my time working with young people on the spectrum, I have learnt some valuable lessons:

1. No one with or without autism is the same. We all have individual strengths, weaknesses and areas to grow!
2. Just because you can’t “see” a disability doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
3. EVERYONE seeks connection and inclusion
4. People with autism are capable of extraordinary things, many of which I am not!
5. You will always learn more from a place of compassion, patience and understanding

In 2017 I became accredited as an Exercise Physiologist, and realized that while I had learnt a lot at university and work so far, there was still so much more I needed to know to be an effective clinician. With that in mind, I continued working with young people, and enrolled in a Master’s Research program to gain a better understanding of working with young people with disabilities. My project was titled, “The impact of specialized exercise programs for young people with complex conditions” and investigated the factors that contributed to the success of exercise programs by asking the staff, parents and young people themselves what mattered most. A number of key themes jumped out immediately;

1. The relationship that is formed between the clinician and the young person is critical in the success of their work together
2. Individualization is important to foster engagement, motivation and enjoyment, as well as tailor to the individual needs of each child
3. The goal should be participation, enjoyment and inclusion, not mastery

Following my studies, I began working for a registered NDIS provider as part of a multidisciplinary team. This has been an amazing learning experience; learning from, and working with clinicians with diverse skill-sets, experiences and backgrounds for one primary goal: facilitating functional independence for young people with disability. I love this work, and am still engaged in this space today, however I found a number of areas that the NDIS provider system was allowing people, and funding to “slip through the cracks”. The NDIS is revolutionary- and also a giant pain. For many, this is the first time that they have access to critical supports for their families, and for others, the NDIS represents a change that may feel like a negative one.

Wherever you are, the NDIS is an opportunity.

The NDIS offers access to funding in a way that has never been seen before in Australia; a way that allows YOU, the parent, carer, person whose life is affected by disability in what ever shape it takes, to make the decisions. Autonomy and choice in therapy, as well as transparency and quality assurance from providers is essential in my view to deliver therapy and supports that provide the most benefit to the client.

Despite this, I saw an area where this system was letting me, as an Exercise Physiologist, as well as some clients down. Allied health services on the NDIS are expensive, and the amount of funding that families receive can sometimes mean that hard choices need to be made. Moreover, many families don’t know that people like me exist, and if they did, this would drastically change the way that they chose to allocate their funding. I saw a need for a mobile service, that provides individualized exercise programming and support that only costs what the clinicians receives, and simplifies the process for clients.

Exercise on the Spectrum was born to serve a number of purposes:

1. To provide self-managed and plan-managed NDIS clients an affordable opportunity to access Exercise Physiology alongside their other supports
2. To provide a mobile service, that is client-focused and flexible in delivery
3. To support young people on the spectrum to engage in physical activity
4. To provide an affordable service to families who don’t have funding, or don’t have enough!
5. To provide specialist consulting services for schools, physical activity programs and sporting clubs to facilitate understanding and inclusion

At Exercise on the Spectrum, I offer free 30 minute consultation sessions at your convenience to explore if i would be a good fit for your family.

Send me an email or call me today to find out more!

josh.knuiman@gmail.com

0432285681

Young people who are given more opportunities to be active are not only exposed to a large range of movement skills that enable them to confidently and safely participate in a wide range of activities, but are also more likely to engage in physical activity across their lifespan, and physical activity behaviours that begin during childhood have been demonstrated to be relatively stable into adolescence, and into adulthood. A longitudinal study in 2014 reported that across the lifespan, children who were regularly active were the most likely to physically active adults (Telama et al., 2014).

So why is this so important? Physical inactivity is associated with a wide range of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, and is a significant contributor to early mortality around the world. A recent Lancet paper estimated the economic cost of physical inactivity globally at around $55 billion dollars a year (Ding et al, 2016)- yes, I said billion! Inactivity is strongly associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes, and a significant predictor of ill health. Physical activity is an essential part of living a healthy life.

So what is recommended? How much exercise should we all be getting? And is this the same for children and youth? For adults, the global recommendations for physical activity are 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week, or more simply, 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Unfortunately, only an estimated 20% of adults are achieving this target in first-world countries (Piercy et al., 2018). The inactivity problem is even more significant for youth and children.

It is recommended that young people aged 5-18 years get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day, including activities that strengthen muscles and bones such as jumping, climbing, lifting and carrying.

Globally, less than a quarter of young people are achieving the current recommended amount of daily physical activity, and this number is declining rapidly. In Australia where I am writing from, only 11% of children are meeting the recommended levels of physical activity as reported in a recent global study. Given what we know about exercise behaviour over the lifetime, these rates of physical activity are alarming.It is critical that young people develop positive behaviours surrounding exercise to set themselves up for a healthy, happy and long life. Fortunately, all is not lost; the same study that demonstrated that inactive children become inactive, unhealthy adults demonstrated that if positive exercise behaviours are adopted during adolescence, this result can be reversed (Telama et al., 2014). It is never too late to start exercising!

So what are the benefits of exercise for young people?

1. Active kids learn better! Children who are physically active perform better on standardized tests, are more attentive in class and outperform inactive peers
2. It can improve our brains! Using neuroimaging, differences in structural brain volumes between active and inactive children in areas related to attention, regulation and memory
3. Improved strength and fitness– Children who participate in exercise have increased muscle strength, bone density and aerobic fitness allowing them to have more energy and participate in more of life.
4. Improved co-ordination, gait and mobility– Participation in physical activity is shown to improve motor planning, co-ordination and movement patterns.
5. Decreased cardiovascular risk factors– It’s simple, exercise more, decrease your risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes!
6. Social and communication skills– Exercise offers a unique opportunity to develop teamwork, language and non-verbal communication skills that can be used to build friendships and resilience.
7. Many more!

How can you help your child be active?

1. Reduce screen time, and head outdoors! Kick a ball at the park, walk the dog, or even just go to the playground!
2. Listen to their interests, and provide them with opportunities to explore physical activity that is in line with their interests- not everyone is a triathlete!
3. Provide opportunities to be active with peers (after school, sporting clubs, dancing, martial arts)
4. Talk to the school- they spend the day with your child!
5. Be active yourself. Active parents make active kids.

All young people deserve the opportunity to feel confident and supported to move their body and participate in physical activity. For more information on how to engage your child in physical activity, feel free to contact me: https://exerciseonthespectrum.com/contact/

Until next time,

Josh