Ms Angela O'Neill:

There is inconsistency across the country. A parent may approach a psychologist, a psychiatrist or other professional for a private ASD assessment and receive a uni-disciplinary report stating the child presents with ASD. Many of the services that deliver ASD diagnostic and intervention services require a multidisciplinary assessment and will not accept a uni-disciplinary report. There is no denying that such multidisciplinary assessment is of significant benefit. What creates a difficulty is that a uni-disciplinary assessment has in the past allowed families to access educational services such as an SNA or an ASD class or similar. However, HSE or HSE-funded ASD services require a multidisciplinary report and need to start that assessment. That is not the blanket situation across the country. In some parts of the country, uni-disciplinary reports are accepted and the child will be put on an intervention waiting list, although that may change.