Mr. Adam Harris:

This is really useful. I nearly missed that so I thank the Senator for asking me. AIM is a very good example of where a disability general approach does not always work for people with autism. Even getting this committee established was one of the big points that had to be driven home. People do not always grasp it. Because so many people with autism are going into preschool without a diagnosis, the reality is that the support required at level 7 is generally out of reach for our families even if it is sanctioned. As a result, AIM is an example of a lot that is positive, but with regard to parent satisfaction the parents who tend to be least satisfied or feel that it works least effectively are the parents of people with autism. We were very concerned with some of the speculation a number of months ago about the NCSE not opening more autism early intervention classes or moving to abolish them. We would not support such a measure. This is important because of course we want to move towards a more inclusive model but we are very clear that we cannot have a lost generation in the process. Until we have preschools that are fully resourced and meet the needs that exist, parents must have the option and it must be resourced. The other reality is that because there is not the required level of autism early intervention classes around the country, very often money is then going through the home tuition scheme to private providers. There is a need to scrutinise a little bit more the value for money in some of these areas. I think again of the 15,000 children who must travel outside of the community to go to school and the massive costs this is generating. By not putting in place the required support at a local level, I am not sure that we are not losing a lot of money for the system across the board.