Mark Wall (Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I welcome all of our guests and thank them for their opening testimonies. I have a number of questions although Deputy Tully has already touched on some of the issues I wish to raise. Adult diagnosis has been mentioned and is an issue that has come up time and time again at this committee. The NDA refers to a lack of a clear publicly funded pathway for adult diagnosis. I ask our guests to expand on that and explain what that means for an adult as he or she goes through life.

There is rightly considerable concentration on children's diagnosis. Dr. Doherty has mentioned late diagnosis, something the committee has heard about frequently. More and more people are coming to my clinics telling me of late diagnosis and adult diagnosis. They are crying out for a pathway as she mentioned. What can we do to support that? What can the committee do in its final report to highlight that issue?

The issue of work for autistic people has repeatedly come up at the committee. Both Dr. Doherty and Dr. Tamming mentioned that in their opening statements. As mentioned in those statements, the more people interact with disabled people, the more attitudes change. I ask for some examples of how that is changing. Some of the statistics we have been given show that up to 80% of autistic people are not working or are working very little. It is very worrying for those adults we have spoken about. Based on the research the NDA has done, with increasing contact leading to changes in attitude, does that indicate that more job opportunities are coming up for those people?

Dr. Tamming touched on universal design and the report was published in 2019. I ask for some examples of where that has worked and made a difference for people and communities. She said the NDA is constantly updating that. Where has that worked? Is it being properly funded?

I thank Dr. Doherty for her testimony. What she had to say was at times worrying. She mentioned that we need to replicate what is happening in the UK. Is there any research in Ireland? I know it comes up repeatedly at committees that I am a member of that we should be replicating what happens in other countries. Have we done any research in Ireland on the issues she mentioned today? Do we need to do more research? Is it just a case of replicating what is happening in the UK? Is that example good enough for what we need to do here?