Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

Since I was first elected to this House 27 years ago I have been fighting for the rights of children with special needs on a constant basis. Parents of these children face a constant struggle, which is inexcusable. Anybody who has met these parents understands the trauma and anxiety they suffer on a daily basis and they are shoved, so to speak, from one Department to another.

Let us be frank about this issue. There are two Departments responsible for this area, namely, the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Health and Children. Both Departments bear most of the responsibility for the lack of provision of special education services and speech and language therapy for these children. I recently became aware of a child who waited 12 months to be assessed for speech therapy and was then put on a waiting list. The parents were told it would be another 12 months before they got the treatment. Instead of the age old practice of shoving parents from one Department to the other, there should be a co-ordinated effort to recognise and provide an appropriate response both in education and health.

If a parent has a totally frustrated young child or young man, how can they expect to have a wholesome young adult? A government or a society will be judged on the extent to which it caters for the most vulnerable in our society. In the past ten years, with the so-called Celtic tiger, the Government had a golden opportunity to adopt world best practices and to make a real impact on autism and various other sensory disabilities. The levels of some services for autism are only at the pilot stage and were it not for the furore by parents, they would remain at the lower end of the Government's spectrum as a priority.

What must be borne in mind is that autism covers a wide spectrum from mild to severe and a structured approach to the condition is vital. That must, of necessity, be a multi-disciplinary team approach involving the relevant Departments of Education and Science and Health and Children, and the parents in providing a genuine rehabilitation and educational programme. Such a team approach is not a new idea. It is quite common in business and corporations and it will depend on the willingness of the two Departments involved.

What does a multi-disciplinary team approach involve? Depending on the degree of severity, it will involve speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and behavioural therapy in addition to regular teaching. Depending on the severity of the condition, the object of the exercise should be to enable the child to benefit from normal mainstream education. Expectations should be pitched as high as possible consistent with the child's ability but it is vital that there is intervention at the earliest possible stage.

It is not good enough to settle for a child coming out of school at 18 without having experienced any second level education. It is downright immoral. How many children have we come across who were dumped, so to speak, after primary school? Parents are left in a frustrating situation. They do not know where to turn. Those young children approaching teenage years are left without proper facilities, yet the wrangling between the Departments of Education and Science and Health and Children continues. Ministers should get off their butts and do something about this issue. It is simply a question of combining the efforts of both Departments, forgetting about the rights and wrongs in each Department and making certain that services that are appropriate to their needs are delivered to the children who need them.

How can we talk about a children's rights referendum when we cannot even guarantee young children a proper and fulfilling education? All we get in many cases is lip service. Money is being thrown at particular special educational needs programmes without proper evaluation of their implementation.

We should think of children's individual needs. In this regard an autism review and audit is urgently needed to ascertain the effectiveness of the current provision and how the money is being spent. A national autism strategy, similar to that in the UK, the USA and Canada, is essential in Ireland, where there is so much misunderstanding of the nature of autism and how it has an impact on an individual and a family. Such a strategy would need to be well funded and researched and to have the ability to change our current strategy for the better. That is the approach I urge. This is not a matter for party politics, this concerns young children who should have rights conferred upon them. Ireland is not a poor country. It is time people put their heads together to make certain these children have a proper opportunity and a decent education.

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