That ICPA (Aust) advocate to the Federal Government, in collaboration with state and territory education departments, to strengthen the rural and remote specialist workforce through increased training opportunities, rural placements, incentives, and exposure to remote education settings for teachers and allied health professionals, in order to improve access to specialist support and services for students with learning difficulties who are not eligible for NDIS funding.
Students in rural and remote communities often face significant barriers accessing specialist educational and allied health support, particularly those with learning difficulties who do not meet NDIS eligibility criteria. While metropolitan families may access educational psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, tutors and other intervention programs locally, rural families frequently encounter workforce shortages, long waitlists, high travel costs and limited-service availability. As a result, schools are often the only consistent source of support, despite many rural schools lacking sufficient trained specialist staff and resources.
We acknowledge that the issue is not solely one of funding, but also of workforce capacity and exposure to rural practice. Increasing training opportunities, rural placements and incentives for teachers and allied health professionals would help build a sustainable workforce with the skills and experience needed to support rural and remote students. Greater exposure to remote education settings during training may also encourage professionals to work in these communities long term.
Strengthening the rural specialist workforce would improve access to timely intervention and support services, helping ensure students with learning difficulties receive appropriate assistance regardless of where they live.
Case Study 1:
I tell my child to dream big — that she can be anything she wants to be, that with hard work and determination her goals are within reach. But the reality we face within the education system often tells a very different story.
My second child lives with dyslexia and significant learning difficulties. She is bright, curious and capable, but the barriers she faces are very real — and living in a rural area only makes those barriers greater.
Accessing support is incredibly difficult. The first challenge is getting an assessment. Waiting lists are long, and there are very few local professionals available. Like many rural families, we have had to travel significant distances and pay privately just to have our child properly assessed. This places both financial and emotional strain on our family.
Even after receiving a diagnosis, the support available is limited. Learning disabilities such as dyslexia are often not recognised under NDIS criteria, which means schools have minimal funding to provide the specialised support these children need. Teachers and School Services Officers do their absolute best, but they are often expected to manage complex learning needs without the training, time or resources required.
For my child, this is not just an academic challenge — it is deeply emotional. Every day she walks into the classroom knowing that tasks many of her peers find easy will be difficult for her. Reading, writing and processing information take far more effort and time. Being asked to read aloud or speak in front of others can bring anxiety and embarrassment.
Over time, I have watched this impact her confidence and self-belief. She has questioned her own intelligence and wondered why learning feels so much harder for her than it does for others.
There is also still a stigma surrounding dyslexia and learning difficulties. Too often, children like mine are misunderstood or seen as not trying hard enough, when in reality they are often working twice as hard just to keep up.
The difference between rural and metropolitan access to support is clear. Children in larger centres often have access to specialists, tutoring and intervention programs, while in rural and remote areas, these supports are limited or simply unavailable. This means where a child lives can determine the level of support they receive — and that should never be the case.
My child is resilient and determined, but resilience should not be something children have to rely on just to access education. They deserve the right support, understanding, and the opportunity to reach their full potential.
No child’s future should be limited by their postcode, or by a system that does not recognise and respond to their needs.
Case Study 2:
Our son is four years old and has experienced significant challenges since birth. As he grew, we became increasingly concerned about his sensory processing difficulties, feeding issues, and frequent choking episodes
When our son was 18 months old, we sought help and were referred to both occupational therapy and speech pathology services. We understood the importance of early intervention and hoped that accessing specialist support early would help address his challenges and improve his development.
Unfortunately, despite the referral being made when he was still very young, we have faced lengthy waitlists. It was not until he was three years old that he was finally able to see a speech therapist. Following assessment, the speech therapist confirmed that he really needed to see an Occupational Therapist to work and support his issues around sensory processing, eating, and choking. Due to the length of time this has been going on it is now causing further issues as once he has chocked on a food he will not try that food again and he now has a very limited diet. Since then, there have been multiple referrals and follow up phone calls which have been made by our GP, paediatrician, CaFHS nurse and now two separate speech therapists, and ourselves. Every professional involved in his care has advised that occupational therapy is the most appropriate intervention and that he would greatly benefit from receiving support as soon as possible.
Despite these recommendations, we continue to face the same response: there are simply not enough occupational therapists available in rural and remote areas. We have been informed that due to the lack of therapists and extensive waiting lists, it is unlikely our son will be able to access occupational therapy services anytime soon.
Living in a rural area should not mean that children miss out on essential healthcare and developmental services. If our family lived in a metropolitan area, it is likely our son would have already received assessment and intervention years ago. Instead, we find ourselves watching valuable early intervention opportunities pass while waiting for a service that may never become available.
Case Study 3:
I am a single mother living in a rural community more than 500 kilometres from the nearest capital city, raising a child with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia.
What should be a time of growth and discovery for my child has often felt like an uphill battle. I have watched my once bright and confident child begin to lose self-belief — not just in their learning, but emotionally as well. I see how hard they try every day, often working twice as hard as others, yet still struggling with tasks that many people take for granted.
We are incredibly fortunate to have a small local school with dedicated teachers and School Services Officers who do everything they can with the resources they have. However, I can also see that they are limited — not through lack of care or effort, but through lack of access to specialist training, support, and services.
Living in a rural area creates significant barriers when it comes to accessing the help my child needs. Learning difficulties such as Dyslexia and Dyscalculia are often not supported under NDIS funding, which means the responsibility for organising and funding support falls back on families like mine.
Accessing specialists is one of our greatest challenges. Educational psychologists, speech therapists, and specialised tutors are extremely difficult to access. We often rely on visiting professionals, and even then, availability is limited. This leads to long delays for assessments and inconsistent ongoing support.
The cost of this is not just financial, although travel, accommodation, and private services quickly become expensive. It is also emotional. The constant effort to find support, advocate, and keep everything moving forward can be overwhelming — particularly as a single parent.
Despite these challenges, I continue to advocate not only for my child but for all rural families facing similar experiences. The reality is that children in rural and remote areas do not have the same access to specialist support as those in metropolitan areas, and that is simply not fair.
Our children deserve the same opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed, regardless of where they live. Access to timely, appropriate, and affordable specialist support should not depend on distance or postcode.
This is why strengthening the rural and remote specialist workforce is so important. Increasing training opportunities, providing incentives, and ensuring greater exposure to remote communities for teachers and allied health professionals will help bridge the gap.
No family should have to carry the burden of distance alone, and no child should miss out on the support they need to reach their full potential.
Case Study 4:
As a Reception teacher and Autism Inclusion Teacher at Burra Community School, I see firsthand the impact that limited access to allied health services has on students, families and schools in regional communities.
We know that early intervention is critical for children experiencing developmental delays, speech and language difficulties, learning challenges, autism and ADHD. However, in rural areas, access to these services is often delayed or unavailable. Families frequently face long waiting lists, significant travel requirements and substantial out-of-pocket expenses to access support that metropolitan families can often obtain locally. For families not eligible for NDIS funding, accessing allied health support often relies on costly private services or long public wait lists.
At our school, specialist support has reduced significantly in recent years. Following the resignation of our visiting speech pathologist, the service has not been consistently replaced, leaving schools and teachers to identify, monitor and support students with complex needs without the specialist expertise required. Many students who would benefit from assessment and intervention are waiting years for access to services, meaning they often do not receive formal diagnoses or targeted support until the middle primary years.
As a Reception teacher, this means I am regularly supporting students with significant speech, language, sensory, social and behavioural needs while they wait for assessments and intervention. Teachers are increasingly expected to fill gaps that would traditionally be supported by speech pathologists, occupational therapists and psychologists. While schools do their best, we cannot replace the specialised knowledge and services these professionals provide.
Burra sits on the edge of remote South Australia, yet there are no local occupational therapy services and families often need to travel considerable distances to access support. For many families, the time, cost and logistics involved create further barriers, resulting in children missing out on the early intervention that research consistently shows leads to the best outcomes.
The challenge is not simply funding services; it is attracting and retaining a skilled specialist workforce in regional and remote communities. Increased rural placements, incentives, training opportunities and exposure to remote education settings would help build a sustainable workforce and improve access to timely support for students who need it most.
A child's opportunity to access assessment and intervention should not depend on their postcode. Rural and remote students deserve equitable access to the specialist services that enable them to thrive at school and beyond.
