When NDIS funding cuts hit, they don’t just affect the individual—they reshape entire family systems.

The 3 October 2024 decision to remove neurofeedback funding creates waves of disruption that extend far beyond immediate care needs. Grandparents step in to help fund private sessions, siblings watch their activities get cut to redirect money to therapy, and extended family members scramble to provide additional support hours. The financial and emotional strain ripples through every branch of the family tree.

These funding changes force impossible choices that affect multiple generations.

When families must choose between continuing effective treatment privately or discontinuing entirely, the impact cascades through their support network. Extended family members often deplete their savings or retirement funds to help maintain treatment, creating long-term financial vulnerability that affects future generations.

The burden of maintaining care shifts to those least equipped to bear it.

Elderly grandparents sacrifice their retirement security, working relatives take second jobs, and family members in regional areas travel hours to provide additional support. This redistribution of responsibility creates unsustainable pressure on family systems already stretched thin by caregiving demands.

We must recognise that NDIS decisions affect not just individuals, but entire family networks.

Reinstating neurofeedback funding isn’t just about supporting autistic individuals—it’s about preserving the stability of the extended family networks that form their essential support system. Every cut in funding forces families to make sacrifices that echo through generations.