Ms Paula Prendeville:

It depends. NEPS does not assess children with autism. It occurs in a multidisciplinary team, which is the remit of the Department of Health children's disability network teams. Even if a child is flagged as having a developmental difficulty with his or her NEPS psychologist within a school, the role of the NEPS psychologist is to sign post the parents in the direction of how to apply for an assessment. Waiting lists really depend on where students live, but that is a matter for the Department of Health regarding the waiting lists for children's disability network teams. We would not be privy to that information.