Lasting Connection
The Barna Brief - April 2026
Current Availability
Behaviour Support
- Two experienced BSPs accepting referrals
Speech Pathology
- Immediate availability across Greater Sydney
- Mealtime assessments available
Occupational Therapy
- Immediate availability for Functional Capacity Assessments, SIL Assessments, SDA Assessments, and ILO Assessments
Availability as of Friday, 17 April
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NDIS Funding Changes (From 19 May 2025)
You may have noticed an increase in participants with NDIS PACE plans, and you may also know that plans are transitioning to a quarterly funding release system in line with the new system and legislative changes under the “Getting the NDIS Back on track No.1” act.
The changes introduced by the amendment to section 33 are intended to provide buffers for all participants in the new plan format. These buffers fundamentally change how support should be planned and when funding can be used.
We have written an article designed to help you quickly understand the changes, guide participants, and avoid the common traps we’re already seeing across therapy teams.
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We are always looking for new topics to answer. Do you have a question or an area where the community could benefit from a one-pager explainer?
Send us an email. All emails are confidential, and we will only publish your profession (e.g. support worker) or your relationship to a Participant (e.g. family member).
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The Cognitive Corner
This month, we have a little teaser to keep your mind active…
What is the number of the parking spot covered by the car?

March Teaser Refresh
And for a refresher, this teaser was definitely not for the faint-hearted!
After the tea-party, Alice persuaded the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse to run with her round a nearby circular track, promising that they should all four win the race by reaching the winning-post at the same moment, so long as they did not vary their speeds!
Round the track were twelve posts equally spaced a whole number of feet apart, No. 12 being at the start, which was also the finishing-post.
At each post, one of the Flamingos was stationed as umpire. We will call them F1, F2, …, F12.
F12 acted as a starter. The umpires reported as follows:
1. All four runners maintained their own constant speeds.
2. F2 noted that Hatter passed Dormouse at his post exactly 30 seconds after the start.
3. F3 reported that Hare passed Hatter at his post exactly 45 seconds after the start.
4. F8 said that Hare passed Alice at his post, at which time Alice was passing his post for the third time and Hare for the sixth time.
5. The umpires reported no further overtaking, although there were obviously others.
The speeds of the four runners, in feet per second, were whole numbers between 5 and 20.
How many laps had they all completed when they all won? And how many seconds did the race last?
So, could you work it out?
March Teaser Answer
At the end of the race, the number of laps was:
• Alice = 8
• Mad Hatter = 13
• March Hare = 17
• Dormouse = 7
The race lasted 180 seconds. The distance between posts was 15ft, so one lap was 180ft.
The velocity of each participant, expressed in feet per second, is the same as the number of laps run during the race.
And how did they get there? Well, that’s one for the programmers…
Let us know if you would like to take a look. Our techy team member would love to explain!
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References and Further Reading
Struggling with new NDIS funding periods? Learn how budgets, components and instalments work — with practical examples for support coordinators.
Lasting Connection The Barna Brief – March 2026 Current Availability Behaviour Support Two experienced BSPs accepting new referrals Speech Pathology Immediate availability …
Is your child on track with their speech, language, play, and everyday activities?
Thriving Kids is a new early childhood support model focused on helping children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism, particularly those with low-to-moderate support needs, access support earlier.



