Adaptable Social Work

20/10/2026

Need help to understand how NDIS cuts may affect your child

NDIS funding cuts have begun to apply to two categories of NDIS support:
🔹 50% cut to assistance with social, economic and community participation in core supports
🔹 10% cut to Improved Daily Living Skills under capacity building

The changes apply to all NDIS participants, but they will not affect every plan at the same time. Some supports within these categories are protected from the cuts.

To find out when these cuts will apply to your child 's plan and what categories are protected read our NDIS changes page. This information is available in five community languages.

👉 Read more: https://acd.org.au/ndis-changes/

18/10/2026

Asking for accommodations at work is hard.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1LWG4ag9cz/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Asking for an adjustment can feel huge, even when the thing you need is small. And for managers, knowing what to say when someone discloses can feel just as daunting.

So I've made two free toolkits, one for each side of the conversation:

→ Asking for What You Need at Work, for neurodivergent employees. Scripts for booking the conversation, asking with or without disclosing, handling pushback, plus a written request template and 12 common adjustments.

→ When Someone Tells You, for managers. What to say in the first minute, phrases to avoid, offering adjustments, confidentiality, and supporting without infantilising.

Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing a few highlights from each. Both are free at nicolaknobel.com

16/10/2026

16/10/2026

We want to know what Autistic young people in Australia think is important.

We want to know what they think people should learn more about to make life better for Autistic young people.

What they say will help researchers learn what to study in the future. All answers will be private and will not be shared.

What young people tell us will also help the Australian Autism Knowledge Hub decide what work to do next.

Young people are eligible to participate if they:
- Live in Australia
- Identify as Autistic
- Are aged 8 to 17 years

Taking part means filling out a brief survey for parents and an 8-question survey for young people which will take about 20 minutes. All answers will be private and will not be shared

Please consider helping researchers work out where they need to focus their work. The answers we receive will directly shape the work of the Australian Autism Knowledge Hub.

Link: https://accessiblesurveys.com/v2/kgTRh87U6hLrWyEerh8i



[image description: A promotional graphic for “Our Lives, Our Future”. The design features the La Trobe University and Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre logos, with text reading: “What young people tell us will help shape future autism research in Australia.” An illustration shows four hands holding smartphones displaying messages, a video call and an email. A link reads bit.ly/AutismHubYouth. The graphic also includes ethical approval and researcher contact information at the bottom.]

13/10/2026

An amazing resource for building inclusivity in the classroom.

Developed by Em at Neurowild.




https://www.facebook.com/share/1KszyXBesJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

12/10/2026

The 0–10 numeric pain scale is often inappropriate for autistic people because it relies on abstract numeric quantification, typical social communication, and neurotypical sensory processing that may not match how an autistic brain experiences or reports discomfort.

Why the 0–10 Scale Fails

• Literal Interpretation: Abstract numbers (like rating a stubbed toe a "4" or a broken bone an "8") can be confusing or meaningless for individuals who think and interpret language literally.
• Difficulty Quantifying Subjective States: Translating a complex, internal sensory or emotional state into a single number requires a level of interoception (sensing internal body states) and scaling that many autistic individuals process differently.
• Atypical Pain Processing & Profiles: Research shows many autistic people have a "pro-nociceptive" profile—meaning they may filter or inhibit short pain stimuli well, or conversely experience heightened sensitivity to prolonged, continuous pain, making a static 1-to-10 rating inaccurate for what they actually feel over time.
• Masking and Underreporting: Autistic individuals may mask distress, feel pressured to give a "normal" answer, or underreport/overreport pain due to social fatigue or confusion about what a benchmark like "10" is supposed to represent.
• Sensory Overlap: Intense pain can easily blur with sensory overload, anxiety, or hyperarousal, making it hard to isolate "pain" on a clean numerical gradient.

11/10/2026

For many autistic individuals, what looks like "overthinking" on the surface is actually a logical adaptation to living in a world not built for their nervous system.
Autistic people may analyse conversations to ensure they don't miss a social cue, search for hidden meanings or double standards, anticipate sensory or social overload, look for explicit reassurance, or try to script and prepare for every single possible scenario. Because autistic brains often use intense, analysis is a natural data-gathering process.
Although these behaviours are essential coping mechanisms meant to create safety, they can trap autistic people in a loop. The overthinking loop occurs when the brain mistakes endless analysis, scripting, and hyper-focused rumination for proactive problem-solving, leading to intense autistic burnout while chasing an impossible standard of certainty in an unpredictable, neurotypical world.
At a deeper level, the question is often not just “What if something goes wrong?” but “Will I have the energy, and safety to survive the fallout if it does go wrong?”
Supporting autistic people through the overthinking loop involves recognising the heavy toll of constant scripting and masking, validating the underlying need for safety, and gradually learning to separate a protective need for structure from the exhausting demand to predict the unpredictable.

**Image by- Dr. Konstantine Bisbikos**

11/10/2026

Today marks the beginning of National Carers Week 2026, a week focused on raising awareness and making all carers feel seen.

To everyone providing unpaid support to a family member or friend, we see you.

We see the early mornings, the late nights, the countless appointments, the worry, the advocacy, and the quiet acts of care that often go unnoticed. We see the way you put someone else's needs before your own, day after day.

This week is a reminder that you matter too.

Whether you take time to attend an event, connect with other carers, learn something new, or simply pause for a moment of self-care, we encourage you to make space for yourself this National Carers Week.

With more than 750,000 Victorians providing unpaid support, you're part of a community that understands the challenges, rewards and realities of caring.

Explore events, resources and ways to get involved at carersvictoria.org.au/carersweek.

08/10/2026

💡 Shift your words, shift your world.
As a social worker, I spend a lot of time talking with families about behavior. When our kids are melting down, talking back, or shutting down, it is incredibly easy to jump to conclusions. But the language we use—both in our own heads and out loud to our kids—changes everything.
When we change how we describe a behavior, we change how we respond to it.
Look at how a simple shift in language changes our empathy and our parenting approach:
👀 "They are being attention-seeking." ➡️ Try: "They are connection-seeking." (Suddenly, instead of ignoring them, we look for ways to fill their cup.)
🎮 "They are being defiant." ➡️ Try: "They are feeling overwhelmed or unsafe." (This moves us from wanting to punish to wanting to protect and regulate.)
♾️ "They are manipulative." ➡️ Try: "They are trying to get a need met but lack the skills to ask directly." (Now, our job is to teach them those skills.)
🫂 "They are a bad kid." ➡️ Try: "They are a good kid having a really hard time." (This reminds us that the behavior is not their identity.)
Behavior is simply communication. It’s the smoke, not the fire. When we use harsh, labeling language, we tend to react with anger. When we use curious, supportive language, we respond with co-regulation and teaching.
The next time your child is struggling, take a deep breath and ask yourself: What is the story I am telling myself about this behavior right now?
You've got this, parents. Small shifts in our mindset make a massive wave of difference in our homes.

Need support to make this shift for your disabled child with behaviours of concern.
☎️ 0472 510 133
📧 [email protected]