AEIOU Centres Closure Leaves Autism Families Scrambling

0:00Australia's AEIOU Centers, which gave kids with severe autism a one-stop-spot for daycare and therapies, just shut down all 11 locations in. Queensland, Adelaide, and Canberra. After more than 20 years, the Not-For-Profit Foundation blamed cuts to national disability insurance scheme funding, or NDIS, leaving hundreds of families scrambling. Take five-year-old Dimitri Moore from Brisbane. He made real progress there four days a week. Planning to communicate and handle basics like using the toilet. But since the sudden closure last month, his single dad Eric says the boy's behavior took a massive hit, with routine shattered and new therapists needed. Parents are reeling hard. Many can't find mainstream childcare that works. Kids with profound needs get turned away, like one rejected by 50 centers. Folks are quitting jobs or taking time off, upending lives, while Dimitri's dad calls their situation lucky since he got him into a special school. Students from the Foundation's founder, a cancer specialist, whose own son has autism

1:04to researchers, say NDIS, push kids toward mainstream despite evidence, AEIOU delivered better outcomes at similar costs. A seven-year freeze on therapy prices is squeezing providers and more closures loom. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler plans to reveal NDIS tweaks today to tackle the $50 billion schemes rising costs. Meanwhile, officials are helping families switch services, but the spotlights on whether funding matches these kids' lifelong needs. Stay informed with Sydney News Today, AI-powered updates.