What List D is for
There are two ways to meet the NDIS access criteria on disability grounds: the disability requirements and the early intervention requirements. Early intervention is about whether support now is likely to reduce the support a person needs later, by improving their functioning, preventing it getting worse, or building the capacity of their family and carers.
Normally the NDIA needs evidence of those benefits. The NDIS rules let the NDIA publish a list of conditions where research has already shown early intervention helps young children. That list is known as List D. For a child with a List D condition, the benefit is accepted rather than argued case by case.
Who it applies to
List D applies to children younger than 7, that is, aged 6 or under. The child needs a confirmed diagnosis of a condition on the list, from an appropriate specialist or treating professional.
The child must also meet the other access criteria: be under 65 when the access request is made, which every child is, and live in Australia as an Australian citizen, permanent visa holder or protected special category visa holder.
What is on the list
List D sits in the NDIA's operational guidelines, Our Guidelines, and groups conditions by the type of impairment they mainly cause. It covers a range of permanent conditions that are usually diagnosed early in life, including some genetic, neurological and sensory conditions.
The list is specific about each condition, and the NDIA updates its guidelines from time to time, so check the current version in Our Guidelines or ask your early childhood partner whether your child's diagnosis is on it. Your paediatrician can also tell you how the diagnosis is usually described for NDIS purposes.
How List D compares with Lists A and B
- List A: conditions where a confirmed diagnosis at the stated level usually means the person meets the disability requirements, at any age
- List B: permanent conditions where functional capacity varies, so the person still needs evidence of how the condition affects them
- List D: permanent conditions in children younger than 7 where early intervention is accepted as beneficial without further assessment
- You may also see Lists C and E in older documents. They related to people moving into the NDIS from earlier state, territory and Commonwealth disability programs when the scheme began
If your child's condition is not on List D
Many children join the NDIS without a List D diagnosis. A child under 6 can meet the early intervention requirements because of developmental delay, which does not need a diagnosis but does need evidence that the delay substantially affects self care, language, cognitive or motor development and calls for coordinated support over an extended time. Others meet the disability requirements, for example through a List A condition.
For many families the first step is an early childhood partner. They can offer short term early supports without your child needing to be a participant, and help you apply if longer term support is needed.
What happens after access
Early intervention is meant to change things, so the NDIA checks whether it is still needed. A child who joined because of developmental delay is reassessed after turning 6, and in other circumstances set by the NDIS rules the NDIA must decide whether a participant still meets the early intervention requirements, or otherwise the disability requirements. Keep therapy progress reports current, because they show what support is still needed.
Thriving Kids and 2028
From 1 October 2026 Thriving Kids supports started rolling out outside the NDIS for children 8 and under with developmental delay or autism and low to moderate support needs. Nothing changes about how children access the NDIS until 1 January 2028, and children already in the NDIS keep their plans. From 1 January 2028 access is based on a standardised assessment of functional capacity, and how the condition lists will work under the new rules has not been finalised. Children with permanent and significant disability will still be able to access the NDIS.