In his National Press Club Address of 20 August 2025, Minister Mark Butler name-checked some programs that might be scaled up and block-funded under Thriving Kids. In this series, we’ll take a brief look at them.
We’ll start with a program called Inklings.
Context:
Over time, Thriving Kids is intended to replace the NDIS early intervention pathway for children with mild and moderate autism and developmental delay. It’s meant to be funded 50:50 by the Federal Government and the States. (As of now, Thriving Kids has yet to be agreed with the States.)
Overview:
Inklings is a very early parenting support program for children aged 6 months+ and in the first 2 years of life who are showing behavioural signs of possible autism.*
History:
Inklings was adapted from a program called iBasis-VIPP, which was itself adapted from a Dutch program called Video Interaction to Promote Positive Parenting (VIPP).
Who ‘owns’ it?
The Kids Research Institute Australia and the University of Manchester co-own the intellectual property in the iBASIS manual (2023).
Goals:
Inklings supports (amongst other things):
- social interaction and communication development for babies with early developmental delays; and
- parents’ communication with their baby.
What does it involve?
- It takes 5 months.
- A trained therapist delivers Inklings directly to parents and their infant.
- It’s delivered in family homes.
- It’s 10-12 therapy sessions long:
- The first two sessions focus on baby behaviour.
- The 3rd and 4th sessions, look at parent behaviour.
- The 5th and 6th sessions focus on more complex chains of social interactions.
- The program is rounded out with 5 or so ‘booster’ sessions to consolidate learning.
Core features:
- Child-led, helping parents learn to follow their baby’s natural interests.
- A focus on social interactions and communication between the baby and the parents.
- In each session, parent-baby interactions are videoed and reviewed, with therapist feedback, including on positive examples of sensitive interactions.
- Therapist observations, supporting parents’ self-reflection, and focusing on behavioural changes.
- 15 minutes of daily home practice interacting with their infant in natural situations (e.g. play, mealtimes) using newly-learned skills.
Evidence:
Inklings has been shown to be effective by two randomised controlled trials involving more than 150 babies (see below). At the age of 3 years, children who received the treatment as 9-month+ aged babies showed a statistically significant reduction in the severity of their autistic behaviours, and were less likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for an autism diagnosis.
Controversy:
Some autistic adults have concerns about some aspects of the treatment and point out that autism cannot be prevented or cured. In recent years, Inklings researchers have actively consulted with autistic adults to understand different perspectives on acceptable supports for babies and toddlers (see below), and to embrace neuroaffirming language (e.g. in the 2023 iBasis manual and other program materials).
Bottom line:
Inklings is an evidence-based, very early family support program for children from age 6 months in their first 2 years of life who are showing early signs of autism. Compared to some other autism therapies, it’s a relatively ‘low dose’ and low cost program, making it appealing for governments looking to fund a program to help families at scale.
Further reading:
- Inklings
- Whitehouse AJO, Varcin KJ, Pillar S, Billingham W, Alvares GA, Barbaro J, Bent CA, Blenkley D, Boutrus M, Chee A, Chetcuti L, Clark A, Davidson E, Dimov S, Dissanayake C, Doyle J, Grant M, Green CC, Harrap M, Iacono T, Matys L, Maybery M, Pope DF, Renton M, Rowbottam C, Sadka N, Segal L, Slonims V, Smith J, Taylor C, Wakeling S, Wan MW, Wray J, Cooper MN, Green J, Hudry K. Effect of Preemptive Intervention on Developmental Outcomes Among Infants Showing Early Signs of Autism: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Outcomes to Diagnosis. JAMA Pediatr. 2021 Nov 1;175(11):e213298.
- Bent, C. A., Aulich, A., Constantine, C., Fidock, E., Dwyer, P., Green, C., Smith, J., Gurba, A. N., Harrington, L. T., Gore, K. E., Rabba, A. S., Ayton, L. N., Fordyce, K., Green, J., Jellett, R., Kennedy, L. J., MacDuffie, K. E., Meera, S. S., Watson, L. R., … Hudry, K. (2024). Autistic and autism community perspectives on infant and family support in the first two years of life: Findings from a community consultation survey. Autism, 29(9), 2282-2296.
*Important note: When looking for very early signs of possible autism, researchers and health professionals look at multiple behaviours, including spontaneous eye contact, so-called “protodeclarative pointing” (where the child points to an object or event to direct another person’s attention to it), social gestures, imitation, and response to name. A lack of one or more of these behaviours does not of itself mean a child is autistic. If you are concerned about your child, speak with a health professional.