Cautious welcome for first parliamentary report into autism
AsIAm founder Adam Harris. The autism charity Picture: Denis Minihane.
Ireland’s national autism charity AsIAm has welcomed the State’s first parliamentary report into autism, but said that it now needs to be implemented.
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism Report, which was launched on Wednesday, recommends the State provide adequate financial support to families who access autism assessments and support privately due to the unavailability of the service in the public health system.
It also recommends the State enact legislation which requires the publication of an autism strategy every three years, as well as recommending national autism acceptance campaigns.
The report also calls for the need to embed a culture of “inclusion and consultation” with the autistic community when designing public services which affect them.
There has also been a recommendation to establish a dedicated cross-departmental unit in the Department of the Taoiseach to “facilitate a whole-of-government approach to autism and to embed joined-up, cross-departmental services”.
An AsIAm spokesperson said: “AsIAm is conscious that many similar reports and initiatives have not resulted in the much-needed change on the ground, leading to a loss of trust amongst the community.
"Therefore, it places particular importance on the specific recommendation to create a legislative mandate that obliges the Government to develop and maintain a national autism strategy in partnership with autistic people and family members.”
The father of a schoolgirl autism campaigner also welcomed the report, and praised the committee for doing “a great job”.
But Mark Darmody, whose 12-year-old daughter is a leading autism campaigner, said the key question now is what happens next.
He said: “The committee has really done a great job and their report covers just about everything — there is a lot of information in there, and it is solid.
“Given that the HSE is already breaking regulations set out by existing legislation, will new proposed legislation have any impact on what the HSE does from now on?”
Mark, who, as a father of two severely autistic sons, also campaigns on autism, added: “Cara couldn’t make the launch because she had to go on her school’s summer day trip.”
The HSE has been criticised for repeatedly failing in its legal obligations under the Disability Act to assess autistic children in a timely manner.
Under the assessment of needs process, the agency has to start the assessment process within three months of it receiving a request.
It also has to have that process completed within another three months.
The High Court held last year that the HSE failed to properly assess potentially disabled children in accordance with the Disability Act 2005.
