Ms Tara O'Donnell-Killen:

Good morning everyone. I wish to sincerely thank the Chairperson, Deputies and Senators for the invitation to speak here today. I am the founder and CEO of Thriving Autistic and I am an autistic psychologist. I am joined today by our co-director and assistant psychologist, Ms Jessica K. Doyle. Thriving Autistic is a unique organisation. We are the world’s first multidisciplinary non-profit comprised entirely of autistic and otherwise neurodivergent psychologists, occupational therapists, psychotherapists, counsellors and coaches.

Many of us are also parents of autistic children. Many of us also hold multiple marginalised identities. This gives us a unique perspective into the lived experience and support needs of autistic people.

Our mission at Thriving Autistic is to empower and promote the human rights of autistic and otherwise neurodivergent people through a transformative shift away from the traditional medical and charity models towards a human rights-based approach. Over the past three years, we have supported over 10,000 adults from Ireland, the UK and beyond through our range of programmes and services. These include: post-identification support services; facilitated peer support meet-ups; return to education programmes; disability advocacy services; workplace advocacy services; workplace well-being programmes; and neurodivergent-affirmative parenting services.

We are also actively working to foster structural transformation in the field of mental health and neurodiversity. Our contributions thus far include: co-authoring the bestselling The Adult Autism Assessment Handbook, published by Jessica Kingsley; participating in the steering committee of the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy to develop neuro-affirmative continuing professional development, CPD, training; serving on the Psychological Society of Ireland steering committee to establish standards for adult assessment and supports; lecturing to clinical and educational psychologist doctoral trainees at UCD, Trinity College and the University of Limerick, among others; conducting numerous neurodivergent-affirmative trainings for a range of HSE disability and child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, teams; providing training and consultations for organisations such as Bord Gáis, Facebook, BeLonG To, the UK Universities Mental Health Advisers Network and Stanford University, USA; creating various online resources, such as a healthcare passport and a workplace accessibility guide; engaging in research projects focused on neurodivergent well-being, both independently and collaboratively; attending and presenting research on neuro-affirmative parenting at the International Society for Autism Research in Stockholm next month, as well as participating in other relevant conferences; and continuously evaluating and adapting the effectiveness of our initiatives and trainings, refining our approach based on feedback and emerging needs in the field.

We envision a world where autistic and otherwise neurodivergent individuals of all races, genders and backgrounds are recognised, respected and valued for their inherent worth and unique perspectives; where autistic people's communication styles, developmental trajectories and individual definitions of what constitutes a "good life" are understood, appreciated and supported; where varying support needs are acknowledged, met and adapted to, recognising that some individuals may excel in certain aspects of life while requiring assistance in others; where accessibility is proactively incorporated into all aspects of our future society, recognising diverse needs and fostering an inclusive environment without the individual needing to request accommodations; and where our future society moves away from the medical and charity models and embraces the social model and a neurodiversity-affirming human rights-based framework that empowers autistic and otherwise neurodivergent individuals to lead fulfilling lives on their own terms.

Our small nation has consistently demonstrated a remarkable influence on the global landscape, championing ground-breaking changes such as marriage equality, the recognition of Irish Travellers as a distinct ethnic group and the repeal of the eighth amendment. We call on the committee to continue this visionary tradition by embracing a human rights-based approach to supporting our autistic citizens.

From the perspective of well-being for autistic adults, we propose that the State take the following actions: invest in autistic-led neurodivergent affirmative human rights-based training for all public sector services; support the development of a neurodivergent affirmative model of assessment and post-identification support that extends throughout an individual's life; and co-design a disability benefit system which reduces the barriers and eliminates the dehumanisation experienced by neurodivergent adults seeking access to supports.

I thank the committee for the opportunity to bring this information to its attention today. I look forward to discussing some of these areas in greater depth.