Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Ryan and Fiacre. I followed this committee before I landed in it. We have had a fair opportunity at these committee hearings to hear from outliers. I commend and congratulate it on that.

I think the witnesses have sold the idea of RPM. We are not talking about a huge amount of money but rather a pittance in real terms. We are talking about a computer or device and a number of apps. Could Ms Ryan go into the ins and outs of how she became accustomed to and used it and the improvements she saw in her life and the life of Fiacre? My son is verbal but he was slow to speak. Since he is able to speak, he has learned to be utterly offensive to all and sundry, which can create its own difficulties. From what I saw with my son in those earlier stages, I can imagine the frustration. What we have been talking about in this committee is providing a framework for autistic people that enables them to be all they can be in every section of society. This includes everything from primary school through to third level if that is what suits people and into the workforce. If Ms Ryan is talking about people who are non-verbal and if we are not going to give them the means to be assessed initially and then the capacity to actually learn, what are we doing? Could Ms Ryan tell us her individualised story because it would be quite beneficial?