Ending National Disability Insurance Scheme payments for children with mild autism could encourage effective early intervention if the replacement program champions GP-led stepped care, an expert says.

Last month, Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler announced that the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) would stop covering mild to moderate autism for “tens and tens of thousands of young children” in 2027, redirecting these children to a new $2 billion program called Thriving Kids.

“Families with a young child who is missing some milestones are not best helped by receiving a budget of $30,000 and being expected to work out how to spend it,” Mr Butler said.

While details are very thin, an online petition with 15,000 signatures is already calling to “Stop the ‘Thriving Kids’ Behaviour Program”, claiming it will lead to worse outcomes compared with the NDIS.