Appendix 3.A — DSM-5 Autistic Diagnostic Criteria

Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history
Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity	For example, abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; reduced sharing of interests, emotions; failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.
Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviours used for social interaction	Poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; abnormalities in eye contact and body language; total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.
Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships	Difficulty adjusting behaviour to suit social contexts; difficulty sharing imaginative play or in making friends; absence of interest in peers.
Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by history
Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech	Simple motor stereotypies, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases.
Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns or verbal nonverbal behaviour	Distress at small changes, difficulty with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, need to take same route or eat same food every day.
Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus	Strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interest.
Hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input or unusual interests in sensory aspects of the environment	Apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement.
Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities or may be masked by learned strategies in later life)
Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning
These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay

Appendix 3.B — The Scottish Strategy for Autism 2011–2021

Vision

Values

Outcomes and priorities (for 2018–2021)

Goals

Foundations (by year two)

Whole-life journey (by year five)

Holistic-personalised approaches (by year 10)

Implementation and reporting

Appendix 3.C — National strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021–2026 (UK)

Priority areas

Key steps in 2021–2022

Enabling actions

Implementation and reporting

Appendix 3.D — National funding and initiatives supporting autism research

Autism CRC	The Autism CRC was established as the world's first national autism cooperative research centre. Initial funding for the Autism CRC included $31 million from the Australian Government, as well as over $74 million in cash and in-kind contributions. The Autism CRC also receives funding from other Australian Government and state and territory government grants, as well as cash and in-kind contributions from participating universities and organisations. The Autism CRC undertakes innovative research to directly improve the lifetime prospects of individuals with autism, provide guidance, support and direction for their families, and enable medical practitioners, educators, therapists, support workers and employers to work effectively with people with autism. The Autism CRC provides government with access to robust, contemporary evidence about best practice.
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)	The NHMRC is the Australian Government’s main health and medical research funding body. The Australian Government allocates funds for health and medical research primarily through the Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA) and the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). NHMRC administers the MREA and some MRFF funds through grant programs. Since 2010, the NHMRC has provided $33 826 231 in funding towards autism research.
Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centres (ASELCCs)	The Department of Social Services has funded six ASELCCs to collect clinical data, held in a centralised database, and to conduct and publish research to further understanding of best practice early intervention for children with autism and the efficacy of the ASELCC model for children and families. By June 2018, the ASELCCs and associated research institutions and partners had published 57 peer reviewed academic publications and five research reports.
Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)	The MRFF provides grants to support health and medical research and innovation to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians. It operates as an endowment fund with the capital preserved in perpetuity. At maturity, the MRFF will reach $20 billion. The MRFF provides a long-term sustainable source of funding for endeavours that aim to improve health outcomes, quality of life and health system sustainability. The MRFF is in addition and complementary to research funding through the NHMRC. MRFF investments are guided by the Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy 2016–2021 and related set of Australian Medical Research and Innovation Priorities 2018–2020 developed by the independent and expert Australian Medical Research Advisory Board following extensive national public consultation. $2.5 million over five years is being provided from the MRFF – Emerging Priorities and Consumer Driven Research Initiative from 2019-20 to understand the causes of autism.
Disability Research Strategy	In December 2019, the Disability Reform Council agreed to a disability research strategy with the Australian Government already committing: $15 million for the development of the National Disability Data Asset; and $2.5 million to the Melbourne Disability Institute at the University of Melbourne to further develop a National Disability Research Partnership with other interested research and community organisations. Over the next three years, the disability research strategy will seek to: establish a national framework and approach to collaboration on shared research priorities across government; build capacity, capability and partnerships within the disability research community; improve the quality, availability and utility of data to inform disability research; and maximise the value of research in improving service models practicing and outcomes for people with disability in Australia.

Appendix 3.E — Summary of progress on recommendations from the ECEI Implementation Reset

Recommendation	Progress
Explain and rename the early childhood early intervention approach.	Complete
Develop and publish new early childhood operational guidelines	Complete
Clearly explain developmental delay and practical guidance to make decisions	Complete
Explain how the approach to supporting families and children helps them reach their full potential	Complete
Create a delegate/planner workforce for young children	In the next 12 months
Working with state, territory and federal governments to find and fill gaps and strengthen services	In the next 12 months
Tailored support for families in remote and very remote areas	In the next 12 months
Publish guidance about what is considered 'reasonable and necessary' when making support decisions for children on the autism spectrum	In the next 12 months
Improving support and information sharing for families when transitioning from the Scheme	In the next 12 months
Focussing on best practice early intervention by making Scheme access decisions under section 25 of the NDIS Act	In the next 12 months
Make the 'provider outcomes report' mandatory to evaluate provider's effectiveness in delivering supports and services	In the next 12 months
Improve provider compliance with NDIS Best practice standards on early childhood supports and increase awareness of these providers	In the next 12-24 months
Help early childhood partners give families clear advice about the best providers for their child and situation	In the next 12-24 months
Understand what disadvantaged and vulnerable families need, and create culturally appropriate services and resources	In the next 12-24 months
Help partners connect with more families in communities experiencing hardship or disadvantage	In the next 12-24 months
Help families connect to local support networks and services	In the next 12-24 months
Do more research on outcomes for young children after receiving early intervention support	In the next 12-24 months
Increase partner capacity to provide more short-term early intervention support for children under 6 with developmental concerns	Over the next 24 months
Increase capacity and flexibility of early childhood providers to help families navigate NDIS plans and connect to supports	Over the next 24 months
Change the age limit for the early childhood approach to children younger than 9	Over the next 24 months
Introduce a 'capacity building support in natural settings' item in the NDIS Price Guide	Over the next 24 months
Create a transition plan to help children and families move to the next stage of their lives	Under review, may not be required
A tailored independent assessments approach for young children and their families	Discontinued