Therapeutic Assessment and Support:
Developmental Education (DE)

What is Developmental Education?

Work in the field of Developmental Education recognises the rights of people with disability and endeavors to collaboratively ensure that those rights are upheld. In practice, Developmental Education centres on the lived experience, needs, goals and aspirations of clients. Developmental educators collaborate with people with disability to promote inclusion and address attitudinal and environmental barriers.

What is a Developmental Educator (DE)?

Developmental Educators are multi-disciplinary disability specialists who work closely with people with disability. Developmental Educators (also referred to as DE’s) work holistically, therapeutically and across the lifespan, supporting people with disability (and their supports) to work towards positive outcomes - addressing issues and removing barriers that impact independence, social inclusion and quality of life. This is often achieved through:

  • employing a range of professional and technical skills (including applying developmental, behavioural, learning and social theories)

  • assessing the person and their environment

  • collaborative planning and goal setting

  • teaching skills through evidence based instructional strategies

  • supporting life transitions

  • programming, monitoring and evaluation

  • advocacy (and supporting the development of self-advocacy skills)

  • family and community education

  • the implementation of individualised capacity building programs



Developmental Education in the NDIS

Developmental Education is recognised by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and is listed in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements/Guide in the Capacity Building section under ‘Therapy Supports - Improved Daily Living’.

Developmental Education is a self-regulating allied health profession. To practice as a DE supporting NDIS participants, DE’s must be registered with the Developmental Educators Australia Incorporated (DEAI).

Click on the image below to find further information on the DEAI, the discipline of Developmental Education and DE’s in the NDIS:

Green Ant’s Typical DE Therapeutic Support Process

  • Let’s work it out together! Pre-referral consultations are encouraged and welcome.

    DE support is versatile and adaptive. If you have a specific goal, are facing a hurdle or are looking to build skills in a particular area of your life, we can design an intervention program to suit your needs.

  • DE’s are recognised by the NDIS, and provide NDIS funded therapeutic support and intervention to people with disability across Australia. As per the NDIS Price Guide, DE supports are typically charged under the Capacity Building - ‘Improved Daily Living’ category.

    The specific ‘item number’ for this support is:
    15_613_0128_1_3 - Assessment, Recommendation, Therapy or Training - Developmental Educator

    As at October 2022, Green Ants prices for therapeutic support are:

    $260 per hour in ‘very remote’ settings (East Arnhem)

    $175 per hour in metropolitan NT areas (Darwin or via telehealth)


    These rates are set at approximately 10% lower than the NDIS price guide.

    Green Ant is currently not a registered NDIS provider. This means that only participants who are ‘plan managed’ or ‘self managed’ can access our therapeutic services.

  • In order to provide DE services to NDIS participants, DE’s must be registered with Developmental Educators Australia Inc. (‘The DEAI’).

    The DEAI’s website hosts a broad range of resources that promote the work that DE’s undertake:

    https://www.deai.com.au/about/what-is-a-developmental-educator

  • Yes! DE’s can undertake assessments and can produce recommendation reports, in areas of functional behaviour, adaptive behaviour, functional capacity, sensory processing, quality of life, support needs, participation and social skills.

    If you are in need of some form of Assessment and/or Recommendations Report to support an appeal or a review, this can be undertaken without having completed sessions. Instead, we will conduct formal and informal assessment through a range of discussions, observations and/or activities to inform the report.

    As always, Green Ant will determine whether we are best placed to undertake this assessment before accepting the referral. If not, we will support you with a referral elsewhere.