Exercise and Disability

An Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) is an allied health professional that prescribes individualised exercise therapy to help people manage their chronic conditions, disabilities, long-term injuries and so much more. They are the most qualified professionals in Australia when it comes to the prescription safe and effective of exercise therapy.

AEPs are uniquely qualified to not only prescribe safe and effective exercise interventions for those living with disability, but also to support long-term lifestyle change. They understand the complexities associated with a wide range of disabilities and will work with you and your care team to improve functional capacity, independence, mental health, and quality of life.

An AEP can help people living with any and all disabilities. From physical disabilities (like spinal cord injury) to intellectual disabilities (like autism) and psychosocial disabilities, AEPs have the necessary training, skills, and expertise to work with individuals across all spectrums of disability, regardless of the severity.

Yes! If you have been allocated funding under support category 12. Improved Health and Wellbeing, or support category 15. Improved Daily Living Skills in your NDIS plan, you can use these funds to access exercise physiology supports.

Exercise therapy doesn’t just benefit those with physical disabilities. Research shows that exercise has profound and measurable benefits for people living with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Down syndrome and schizophrenia. If delivered by an appropriately trained and qualified professional, it can help to manage symptoms and improve functional capacity. Exercise also plays a vital role in the physical and mental health of people with these disabilities. There is ample evidence that exercise physiology services should be “reasonable and necessary” for people with these types of disability.

If you’ve asked to have exercise physiology in your NDIS plan, but your planner has rejected your request, you can apply for an appeal to have the decision changed. You can appeal the decision by follow the steps on the NDIS webpage that outlines how to review a planning decision.

It’s important to gather as much evidence as possible before appealing this decision. Evidence may be peer reviewed journal articles, case studies or your own progress reports, if you have already been seeing an AEP and have seen improvement in your abilities. Speak to your AEP for help to compile appropriate evidence.

You can find an AEP near you by using the search function on the ESSA website. Simply put in your postcode and select “NDIS” under the “claiming” tab.