Evidence, information, and resources for those exploring The Family Chart for therapeutic, NDIS, or family-system use.
The public demo walks you through two fictional families — the Nguyen-Mitchell household for general features, and the Henderson-Walsh shared-care scenario for the bilateral care percentage and co-parent communication workflow. No signup required.
The Family Chart is a tool that delivers evidence-based supports in a digital, low-cost format. It is not a clinical intervention, therapeutic device, or replacement for OT or psychology services. The design draws on established research in three areas:
Visual schedules and routine support for ASD and ADHD
Visual schedules are recognised as an evidence-based practice for children and young adults with autism (Hume et al. 2021; Wong et al. 2015; Knight et al. 2015). For ADHD specifically, systematic reviews show significant positive effects of visual activity schedule interventions on on-task behaviour, transitions, independent task completion, and academic skills.
Coparenting consistency and child mental health post-separation
Steinbach (2024) found that the mental health benefits of shared-care arrangements come from coparenting cooperation and consistency, not from time distribution alone. Children in joint physical custody do better when parents coordinate routines and rules between households. Inconsistency between homes is itself a chronic stressor on children.
Executive function support across neurodevelopmental conditions
Executive function impairment is a core feature of ADHD, ASD, FASD, intellectual disability, and many other conditions where the NDIS provides support. Visual external structure offloads working memory and reduces the cognitive cost of self-regulation, allowing functional capacity to be deployed on the task rather than the meta-task.
The Family Chart is designed for diverse household structures where routine support is a functional need, not a preference.
Neurodivergent individuals
Children, adolescents, and adults with ASD, ADHD, FASD, intellectual disability, anxiety, OCD, ODD, schizophrenia (typically adolescent/adult), and other conditions where routine support addresses functional needs.
Complex family structures
Families navigating shared care, blended households, shift work, or grandparent carer arrangements — where coordination across people, roles, and sometimes homes is a daily operational need.
Allied health and family-system practitioners
Allied health professionals and family-system practitioners working with the above populations, seeking low-cost, accessible tools that extend structured support into daily home life.
For practitioners evaluating The Family Chart as a recommendation or support tool, these are the observable system-level effects.
Less stress for kids moving between homes
Children carry a hidden cognitive load when they move between two homes that operate differently — different rules, different bedtimes, different expectations. Consistent, visible routines across both homes reduce that load. Research on shared-care arrangements shows the benefit comes from coparenting consistency, not the time itself. The child who knows what to expect when they arrive at each home carries a lighter cognitive burden into every transition.
Less anxiety for neurodivergent kids
Predictability is one of the strongest supports for children with autism and ADHD. When a child can check the chart and see what comes next, they spend less internal energy on the meta-task of remembering, and less time anxious about transitions. Visual schedules are an established evidence-based practice. A child who is not braced for the unexpected has more capacity for the present moment.
Better functioning when kids can rely on their schedule
When the chart holds the structure, children's executive function is freed for the task itself, not the meta-task of remembering what to do. Systematic reviews show improvements in on-task behaviour, transitions, independence, and academic engagement. The routine becomes predictable enough to fade into the background — which is exactly when learning and growth can happen.
A stronger family unit
Coordination work distributed across the household, not carried by one parent. Reduced cognitive load on the primary carer. Reduced ambiguity for the secondary carer. Reduced uncertainty for the child. Calmer carers. Calmer kids. The loop sustains itself. When the system holds the memory, the relationships can hold the warmth.
The Family Chart is not an NDIS-registered provider. The product is sold on a direct subscription basis. Where a plan manager or facilitator determines the subscription may be claimable under a participant's plan (typically Low-Cost Assistive Technology, under the $1,500 threshold), invoicing is arranged manually on request. Claim approval rests with the plan manager and the participant's support team.
For professionals and plan managers evaluating or recommending The Family Chart.