Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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I wish to clarify a few matters. Are we saying that there are no transition services for autistic people at the moment or are there some?

Ms Tonge, in her opening statement, recommended that a dedicated transition service be established to support autistic people. Ms Clinton referred to a mandate in the US under which autistic children must be provided a transition service by the age of 14. How is that done? Is the service comprised of assistive technology, SNA supports, one-to-one tutoring or a place in a special school?

Ms Tonge indicated that support for the development of life skills is also needed and that it would be useful to have a "programme tailored to the needs of autistic people to develop skills that would benefit them, regardless of whether they continue in education or seek employment". I agree that it is very important for both those in education and in employment.

Ms Clinton indicated that a transition service is put in place in the US when children are 14 years of age so that they have assistive technology when they go to college or enter the workplace. Do we have anything like that here?

Ms Tonge stated: "Specialised career consultants with a deep understanding of autism, and who can build relationships with employers are needed." Are there specialised career consultants in this country or do they have to be developed?

On adult diagnosis, I recently met someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 40. Her diagnosis explained why certain things happened in her life and how she dealt with them. It can be strange for people to be diagnosed later in life when they have been a certain way all their lives.

Regarding adopting a universal design approach to buildings, does this refer to having quiet spaces in certain parts of a college, adjusting lighting in a college and those kinds of things? Will the witnesses expand on that?

Has there been any uptake of the avail assisted technology in this country? Has Ms Clinton been in contact with the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, or any of the organisations involved in providing education for autistic children?