Dr. Lorna Lopez:

One of the Deputy’s questions was about the importance of the voice in the Creating our Future campaign and whether we learned anything from the Creating our Future submissions. There were a number of these related to genetics and autism and one, for example - I am not sure if the Deputy came across it - talked about where researchers should explore spectrum disorder. If it is okay, I will read it out:

We have 3 children with ASD and they are all so special, loving and misunderstood. We don't want to change anything about them but we would love to know how to adapt our neurotypical world to allow more opportunities in life. Discovering the cause of ASD would help many parents sleep better at night as we always wake up thinking did we do something wrong.

There is another submission from a man from Kerry who is living in the UK and he had read that autism is important with regard to genetics, and he said:

If autism is genetic, and given that Ireland is an island, there is room for a study of autism in the Irish. It will help future generations.

It was very surprising for me that it was a parent from Westmeath and a man in Kerry who responded, where everybody from all over Ireland is very keen, and that there were submissions that supported the research we are doing.

The Deputy asked if we learned anything new. From my point of view, it is the importance of the engaged research and the willingness to take part. Many of the submissions were also about the interest in science and research. In Maynooth University, for example, we have a great deal of outreach activity. Rather than being involved in actual research, there are such activities as getting into the lab and having quiet spaces so that we can engage in those kinds of research activities.