<p>Despite a range of Federal Government initiatives over recent years, the education of students with disability lags well behind that of their peers. This is the overwhelming message from the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_and_Employment/students_with_disability/Report">Senate Education and Employment References Committee report</a>&nbsp;on the impact of policy, funding and culture on students with disability.</p><p>Education funding and policy are responsibilities shared and split across governments and across sectors within the schooling system. This contributes to the variability of practices across Australia and a lack of transparency about how funding for the education of students with disability is spent within school systems. </p><p>Not surprisingly, the Senate Committee (with a majority of members from the ALP and Greens) recommends that the Federal Government adopts the needs-based funding approach outlined in the Gonski Review. NDS agrees that resources that reflect the additional educational support needs of students with disability are required. Despite their efforts, many schools fail to provide optimal learning environments for these students.</p><p>NDS is pleased to see recommendations for improved teacher education on disability matters and ongoing professional development for all who work in the school system.</p><p>Also pleasing are: </p><ul><li>recognition of the need to end restrictive practices in schools;</li><li>a call for resources aimed at the prevention of bullying; and</li><li>a recommendation that the results of the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability be released.&nbsp;</li></ul><p>The growing number of school pupils with autism - a subject of media attention over the past week - is discussed in the report. Commentators attribute the rapid rise in the diagnosis of autism - which is not confined to Australia - to various causes, among them programs such as Helping Children with Autism which require an autism diagnosis to access funding. More data and analysis are needed to understand the increase in the number of children being diagnosed - and why the rates of autism vary across states and territories.</p><p>A panel of experts has provided advice to the National Disability Insurance Agency on the efficacy of autism intervention strategies. It is anticipated that the panel's advice will be released shortly. </p>