Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I wish everyone a good morning. All research is welcome. A broad range of issues was researched on which people were engaged. As the Committee on Autism, we are interested in the findings from autistic people who engaged in the process. As a committee, we are tasked with coming up with a report and recommendations in a few months. Does Science Foundation Ireland have any advice for the committee? It would be very welcome to hear about the information received from autistic people. Dr. Lopez mentioned causes and genetic causes; about 20% of autistic people have autism linked with genetic causes. Is that 20% and 80%, or is it that enough research has not been done? It was a surprise to me because while the prevalence of autism is much higher, is that because we were not aware of autistic people and disabled people in general in the past? It is not that autism is a disability, it is a different ability. They were often boxed in, sometimes labelled with not very nice terms and often institutionalised over the years. Is it just that there is better awareness now or has there been an actual increase in autism in recent years, based on Science Foundation Ireland's research?

The witnesses also spoke about their research in drug therapies and undergoing clinical trials. Exactly what would the drugs be treating? There is a place for drugs in treating, for example, mental health issues, but sometimes there is an over-reliance on drugs to treat people with mental health issues and not enough on other therapies like, in the case of autism, speech and language or occupational therapy. I am a little concerned. Will Science Foundation Ireland clarify genetic testing and drug therapies?