What early childhood intervention means
Early childhood intervention is support for young children whose development is delayed or who have a disability. It can include speech pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology, special education and more, depending on your child.
The idea is simple: young children learn fastest in the early years, and they learn most through everyday play and routines with the people they spend time with. So good ECI works through the family and the child's normal day, not only through one hour in a therapy room.
What best practice looks like
The NDIS refers to recognised best practice for early childhood intervention. In practice that means:
- Family centred: your priorities and your family's life shape the goals
- Natural settings: support happens at home, childcare, kinder, playgroup and out in the community
- Building capacity: therapists coach you and the people around your child, so learning continues between sessions
- Teamwork: professionals and family share information, often with one key worker as your main contact
- Inclusion: the aim is for your child to take part in the same activities as other children
- Evidence informed and outcome focused: strategies are chosen because they work and progress is checked against your goals
How the NDIS supports early childhood intervention
For children younger than 9, the NDIS works through the early childhood approach. Early childhood partners can offer short term early supports to children younger than 6 with developmental concerns, usually 3 to 6 months and up to 12 months, without the child joining the NDIS.
If your child is an NDIS participant, their plan can fund early childhood supports from therapists and other professionals. These are paid from the Capacity Building budget, and the price providers can charge is capped by the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. Ask for a written service agreement and check the hourly rate and any travel charges before you start.
Choosing a provider
Registered providers of early childhood supports must meet a specific module of the NDIS Practice Standards. It covers the child, the family, inclusion, collaboration, capacity building, evidence informed practice and an outcome based approach. Unregistered providers can also deliver ECI if your child's plan is self managed or plan managed.
Questions worth asking:
- Will you come to our home, childcare or kinder?
- How will you show us strategies we can use every day?
- Do you work as a team, and can we have one key worker?
- How will we measure progress against our goals?
- What do you charge, including travel and report writing?
What is changing for young children
From 1 October 2026, Thriving Kids supports begin rolling out outside the NDIS for children 8 and under with developmental delay or autism and low to moderate support needs. NDIS access for children does not change until 1 January 2028, and children already in the NDIS keep their plans.
From 1 October 2026 the improved daily living skills part of the Capacity Building budget is also reduced by 10% when a plan is created, reassessed or renewed. Therapy is often funded from that budget, so check what is available after your child's next plan change and plan sessions to match.
For providers
Families increasingly expect coaching in natural settings rather than clinic only sessions. Make your approach clear in your service agreement, explain how you measure outcomes, and be ready to say whether you are registered for early childhood supports, since families often ask.