Irish Examiner view: Dáil Éireann should not be a forum for autism misinformation
Danny Healy Rae has not responded to our questions about his remarks about autism described by advocates and TDs as 'unbelievable... unhelpful... deeply uninformed... pure rubbish'. File picture
It was bewildering, to say the least, to hear a TD making unsubstantiated suggestions about autism in the Dáil but such was the week that was.
During discussions on a motion about special schools, of which the country does not have enough, Kerry TD Danny Healy Rae said “it seems to me that many more are presenting than in my younger days.
"And even when I was going to school, it didn’t seem to be an issue at all at that time, very few anyway.
"So I’m wondering … is there something causing it — lack of some vitamins or what is it?”
The remarks were described by advocates and fellow TDs as “unbelievable”, “most unhelpful”, “deeply uninformed”, and “pure rubbish”.
Mr Healy Rae did not respond to questions from this publication, and at another time in history it would be possible to simply put his words down to clumsiness, or a genuine attempt to get an answer on a subject he is unfamiliar with.
Indeed, this may well be the case, because we’ve all stumbled into causing offence with words at one stage or another while never meaning to do so.
We might remember, for example, Simon Harris saying during the height of the pandemic that covid-19 implied there had been 18 other coronaviruses beforehand, an incorrect and deeply clumsy statement (the 19 referred to its discovery in 2019).
He later put it down to sleep deprivation.
But our point here is that he acknowledged it, owned the mistake, and apologised for it.
If Mr Healy Rae wishes to clarify his intention, he is welcome to do so, either through the media or the Dáil chamber. Our political staff will take the call. As a publication, we endeavour to cover all angles.
However, whatever his intent it remains that his comments reflect the barrage of misinformation that’s particularly rife in American politics but increasingly appears in Europe. And misinformation is something that this publication will fight whenever it can.
Mr Healy Rae’s claims that there were very few cases of autism in his day echo claims by US secretary of health Robert F Kennedy Jr, whose aunt, we should remember, founded the Special Olympics.
How far the apple has fallen from that particular tree.
It is worth noting — as Healy Rae and Kennedy have not — that the perceived increase in autism since their childhood is more related to better diagnoses, and an appreciation of just how broad the autism spectrum is, than having some mythical, mystical root cause.
US president Donald Trump vowed at the weekend that there would be “a very important announcement, one of the most important things we will do” on autism, an announcement he said would come today, though details are sparse.
His administration’s track record, however, does not inspire confidence that this will actually benefit autistic people.
With Kennedy making wild allegations about vaccine safety and people in his orbit connecting Tylenol (the active ingredient of which is humble paracetamol) to an increase in autism cases, families living with special needs are probably despairing at home as well as in America.
As it is, families with special needs in this country face significant challenges even without dealing with misinformation on top of it.
Today, in print and online, the 's Education Correspondent Jess Casey highlights how parents have had to seemingly fight every second of every day just to make sure their youngsters get the education they have a right to — only for matters outside of their control to undermine their sterling advocacy and dedication.
Having spent so much energy in pushing for the establishment of Carrigaline Community Special School, they are now raising concerns, with high staff turnover sometimes leading to class closures (special needs classes often can’t be just split up and redistributed for a day like in a mainstream school), high levels of anxiety among students, and extensive use of suspensions for behavioural issues.
Many students in special schools need routine, and the more disruption to it the more dysregulated they become, which in turn leads to lashing out.
But without the support of relevant therapies — and the parents say these are not being provided — students can struggle greatly to deal with change.
Parents have described the school as “in a state of crisis”, and have sought intervention from the Inspectorate of Schools and the Department of Education.
Life is already hard enough for people with special needs, along with their families. The last thing they need is misinformation being spread in parliament. They deserve better.
The American administration’s amplified, louder than loud misinformation and autocracy is unsettling enough, but more dangerous for Europe is Russia’s increasingly brazen efforts to antagonise Nato countries.
Just a few days ago, three Russian jets violated Estonian airspace.
One might be a mistake, but three with their transponders turned off is a deliberate attempt to sneak around.
Their intention is unclear but, given the recent drone attacks on Polish territory, it’s clear that Russia is probing for weaknesses. And with Poland scrambling in case of incursions during the bombardment of Ukraine at the weekend, tensions are ever higher.
Russian jets have gone where they’re not supposed to many times in many places. The difference here is that the country seems to be broadening scope and intensity.
How a country that is bleeding manpower and equipment in an illegal invasion of Ukraine might hope to make military inroads elsewhere is unclear, but that’s likely not the point.
They want to unsettle and get an idea of Nato countries’ defences, even as its military exercises with vassal state Belarus are intended to be a display of strength and readiness.
More importantly, the lack of any substantial American counter-action sends a signal that the US is not interested in Europe — and at the weekend it emerged that America was scaling back military assistance to the Baltic states, only reinforcing this. It was Italian jets that moved to intercept the Russians over Estonia, while planes from several Nato countries scrambled to intercept the drones over Poland.
The outgoing MI6 chief Richard Moore last week revealed he did not believe Russia could win a war with European countries, but that does not mean it cannot cause immense chaos or damage without actually firing a shot.
Meanwhile, the Gulf countries are making plans for a world without American security, with Saudi Arabia agreeing a defence pact with Pakistan. Saudi has its own military resources, but one thing it does not have is a nuclear deterrent, unlike Pakistan.
When asked, Pakistan said that all its military resources were available as part of the agreement. It’s the kind of thing that would have been unthinkable under previous American regimes, much like the increasing sense of belligerence from Russia. But this is where we are, with no indication that cooler heads will prevail any time soon.
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