The client must be referred by their GP using the ‘Referral Form for Chronic disease Allied health (individual) Services under Medicare’. This can be downloaded here.

speech pathology health service provided to a person who is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent by an eligible speech pathologist. A ‘Referral form for Follow-up Allied health Services under Medicare for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ must be completed by a GP who has conducted a health check consistent with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medicare health checks. This can be downloaded here.

Item 82005 is for an speech pathology health service provided by an eligible speech pathologist to a child under 13 years of age where the child has been referred to assist with diagnosis or to contribute to a Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) or Disability Treatment Plan. Item 82010 is for an speech pathology health service provided by an eligible speech pathologist to a child under 15 years of age for the treatment of Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) or an eligible disability. Both services require a referral from an eligible practitioner.

Eligible disabilities are;

• Cerebral palsy
• Deafblindness
• Down syndrome, including mosaic Down syndrome
• Fragile X syndrome with full mutation
• Hearing impairment
• Sight impairment
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• Williams syndrome
• Angelman syndrome
• Kabuki syndrome
• Smith-Magenis syndrome
• CHARGE syndrome
• Cornelia de Lange syndrome
• Rett’s Disorder
• Cri du Chat syndrome; or
• Microcephaly

Children registered with Better Start can access up to $12,000 (maximum $6,000 per year) to pay for early intervention services. These services include:

• audiology
• occupational therapy
• orthoptics
• physiotherapy
• psychology and
• speech pathology.

Up to 35% of a child’s Early intervention Funding may be used to purchase resources, to a maximum of $2,100 per financial year, or $4,200 in total.

Referring medical practitioners are not required to use a specific form to refer patients for the allied health services that are available through the Autism — Helping Children with Autism program. The referral may be a letter or note to an eligible allied health professional, signed and dated by the referring practitioner.

Under the Helping Children with Autism program, a child can be referred by a consultant paediatrician or psychiatrist for the following allied health services:

• up to four diagnostic / assessment services from psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, audiologists, optometrists, orthoptists or physiotherapists to assist the referring practitioner with diagnosis or to contribute to a child’s treatment and management plan (for a child under 13 years of age).
• up to twenty treatment services from psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, audiologists, optometrists, orthoptists or physiotherapists (for a child under 15 years of age, providing a treatment and management plan is in place before their 13th birthday).

These are the total number of services available to each child through the Helping Children with Autism program – not an annual entitlement.