Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 14 February 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism
Autism Policy: Discussion (Resumed)
Dr. Niall Muldoon:
I thank the committee very much. It has been doing a fantastic job and members' insights are very positive. I have learned a lot. I will follow on from Mr. Deering's commentary on the person-centred approach. Inclusive education has to include health and all the different allied health professionals in this area. When the Chair was out earlier, we talked about long termism and the concept of what good looks like. If we can get a plan for inclusive education that involves catering for all the needs of all the children in our education system, which should be all children in the population, we would be creating a much better society and future for those children. It is about integration and person-centred and child-centred universal planning within education which draws from all the other Departments. That would be a template for the future for all our children.