Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister of State's response. I have posed the question as a public representative and also as a parent of a child with special needs and a diagnosis of autism. Therefore, it is a matter that I will be following very closely. It is most important that there is an urgent commitment to undertake the development needed to recognise the diverse needs that people with autism have and attempt to level the playing field of access to services for those with autism.

There are major gaps in the current continuum of provision, of which I am sure the Minister of State is aware. I wish to mention a few of them, briefly. As diagnostic rates have increased, waiting lists for assessments and follow-up services continue to rise, with some families waiting 18 or 19 months for an assessment of need and, very often, between 30 and 36 months for full access to essential intervention. That amounts to a three-year wait. That is three essential years of formative and developmental growth that are stalled due to an inexcusable lack of resources.

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