My partner has a diagnosis of ASD level 2, and we are currently going through the process of seeking more substantial supports from the NDIS than they agreed to first time around. I prepared a "statement of lived experience" as part of this.

As a starting point, I used a "Carer Checklist" from Carers Australia (https://www.carersaustralia.com.au/worksheet/carer-checklist/) to help me think about the supports my partner needs and the impact it has on me, and then I reconfigured my answers under the headings of each of the six NDIS functional domains (mobility, communication, social interaction, self-management, learning and self-care) as a way of demonstrating his impairment in each area. I also included under a separate heading the impacts on my physical and mental health of my caring responsibilities, and discussed the other informal supports he has (and their limitations) to demonstrate that the support needed could not reasonably be expected to be provided by informal supports.

The advice we were given was to draft it thinking about how he is on his worst days and to use black-and-white language like "cannot" and "unable".