Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I thank Deputy Thomas Byrne and Fianna Fáil for giving us the opportunity to talk about this motion this evening, as many parents have children affected by autism or intellectual disabilities. For many parents, it is traumatic to find out about these needs for the first time. From that point on, they want to do the best they can for those children. We need to assist them in any way we can. Given the small amounts of money involved, we should not be penny-pinching in providing funding for children with autism and their education.

Many parents lack support when their children are first diagnosed. It is vital that we support them when they find out for the first time that their child has a little problem. I have very little time. There is still a delay in the provision of home tuition hours. We are now in the third week in September. That is not satisfactory, and I would like the Minister of State to deal with that. That cannot be allowed to happen because continuity is very important for these children. If there is a delay and they are left behind for even a short while, they will go back to where they were again. In that regard, we should be making provision in July for children with Down's syndrome as well as all the other children with intellectual disabilities. We are not doing that at present, and that is very unfair on these children. That group of children should be entitled to July provision as well. That is very important.

Moreover, we make no provision at all for children when they reach the age of 18. From that point on we do not assist parents who are sometimes very elderly and do not know where their child will end up. We are doing nothing at all in that regard. In our county, we are left totally behind.

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