Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone for their contributions to the discussion so far. I commend the Regional Independent Group on this important Bill. There has been much discussion of the challenges that autistic people face during my time in this House. Whether progress has been made is a matter for interpretation. There has been a better understanding of autism in society over the past 20 years and resources have been put in place. There is no doubt about that and that is good because it is progress. There are, however, considerable inequalities in the challenges that autistic people face and the services that are provided. That is what it comes down to.

Assessment and early intervention are absolutely key. When parents come to my constituency office on a Monday or Friday with issues around intervention for their children, my heart sinks because I know those parents are on a difficult road to try to get services. If they are coming to Deputies in search of services, it means the system is broken. Not only is the system broken, the parents are broken. They are obviously trying to get intervention for their children but that intervention is not available. They must then go through the courts. The Disability Act is breached numerous times, which is ludicrous. I am sure the Minister of State understands the situation is not sustainable for anybody. Parents have submitted the forms and documentation seeking an intervention but cannot get one and they then take the HSE to court. That is a ludicrous situation.

We have discussed waiting times. The average waiting time for occupational therapy and speech and language therapy is two years. That is not sustainable or acceptable. I know the Minister of State is trying to address those issues and that is not going to be done overnight but it needs to be done as quickly as possible because parents and children who need the services are struggling.

Once services are put in place, outcomes are dramatically different for both parents and children. In my former job, I worked in such services. Once the services are in place, children can flourish and gain confidence. They deserve the interventions. Where they are not made, the outcomes are pretty bad.

We want to see progress. Progress has been made but there are enormous inequalities. Those inequalities relate to the very basics. If we cannot provide the necessary interventions, we are not addressing the real issue.

There is now a better understanding. There is no doubt about that. Services have been made available, particularly in the past two decades. Before that, people with autism were completely alienated and put into all sorts of inappropriate services. I will not go through all that. They were completely alienated and marginalised in society. There is now a better understanding. The major role in services relates to early intervention. Even if the six-month timeframe in respect of the assessment of need is achieved, it will help. There are obviously breaches in this regard on numerous occasions but if this can be addressed and people can avail of the services I have outlined, the outcomes will be better, not only for the children and parents but also for society as a whole.

See this speech in context