Follow the money trail

There are some pools of funding and hidden savings for parents of children with ASDs. The problem is not much of it is ever advertised. The government doesn't want you to know they offer financial support. You need to know how to ask the right questions, and who to ask them to; so here's my guide to what I've learnt so far:

Name: Carer's Allowance

Provider: Centrelink

Details: Carer's Allowance is a non-means tested payment to parents of children with Autism and other disabilities. It is best applied for after you have your full diagnosis of Autism. What I mean by this is after you've had your full round of multi-disciplinary assessments, you have to go back to your pediatrician one more time to get the outcome of the assessments, take the Carers allowance forms with you to this appointment and ask your pediatrician to fill it in for you. They will know how to fill it out so you get the maximum financial benefit. In addition to the Carer's Allowance, Centrelink will issue you with a Health Care Card in your child's name.

Name: Carer's Payment

Provider: Centrelink

Details: Carer's Payment is a means tested payment to parents of children with Autism and other disabilities. Again, it is best to apply for it at the same time you are applying for the Carer's Allowance. The current financial cut-off for Carer's Payment is $61,000 per family. If you qualify for the Carer's Payment, the Health Care Card issued will also have your, and your husband's name on it, which means you are entitled to a swathe of discounts including gas, electricity, water and many more.

Name: Flexible Support Package

Provider: Early Childhood Intervention Services/Yooralla

Details:If you ring and give the ECIS the details of the issues with your child, they will assign you a case worker. Your child must be under 6 years of age to be registered, but you do not need an official diagnosis to be able to register. After you have been assigned a case worker and have worked through your child's needs and what services would be useful, you should ask about applying for a Flexible Support Package. You'll need to discuss with your case worker what you want for your child, and explain how it would help your child overcome his issues by having it. You can apply for up to $1,000 worth of any goods or service. We've only applied for this once, but rumour tells me you can apply for it multiple times.

Name: Helping Children With Autism package

Provider: Department of Families Housing Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Details: The Helping Children With Autism package is a one off government provided tax free payment of $12,000 you can access to pay for therapies. There are restrictions such as; the money is paid directly to the provider, you can not spend more than $6,000 in any Financial Year, you can only spend the money on services that are porvided by those who are on the 'provider panel' which is available to browse on the FAHCSIA website. Every month you use this, you are sent a monthly activity staement so you can track your spending. The Helping Children With Autism package must be applied for before the childs 6th birthday and will cease being available when the child has their 7th birthday, regardless of whether there is money left or not.

Name: Carer's Adjustment Payment

Provider: Centerlink

Details: The Carer's Adjustment Payment is a one off tax free payment to help families following a catastrophic event when a child up to 6 years of age is diagnosed with a severe illness, medical condition or major disability. The payment is case by case dependent up to a maximum of $10,000. It is specifically for parents who are ineligible for the Carers Payment to help with the added financial burden of the 'catastrophic event'. Although Autism isn't specifically listed in the examples on the website, since it's all determined by a review panel, it's worth giving it a shot. Even if you don't get granted the full $10,000, partial grants can be given out, so it's worth applying to see how much you can be granted.