Senator Miche?l Carrigy:

I thank the Deputy. I thank the Deputies for their contribution to this important debate. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, for the commitment she has given on behalf of the Government that changes will be made. I also welcome the comments of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. The fact that both Ministers of State are in the House debating the issue, in addition to giving a commitment to implement the strong recommendations in our report, sends out a very strong signal to parents. That is very significant for parents.

I am conscious that many Deputies, including me, are very passionate about autism services for many personal reasons. Many of them will have autistic people in their families and will be acutely aware of the difficulties they face in trying to access the services they require. Many, if not all, have been contacted by a great number of families regarding difficulties in accessing services for children and adults, whether these are school places, therapies or summer provision. I greatly appreciate that this debate has taken place.

I am especially grateful to the parents and families who have campaigned tirelessly to have their voices and those of their children heard in the House. I am also grateful to Deputies for listening. It is essential for us as legislators, especially the Government, to now act on the contributions made by parents and to adopt the report's recommendations. I repeat that I welcome the commitment that has been given by the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, on behalf of the Government. While this report was published in response to the frustrations experienced by autistic children and their parents in trying to access the programme, it is also important to address the issues raised in the report and to look to the future with positivity following the comments and the commitment given by both Ministers of State.

These recommendations, when acted upon, will benefit autistic children and their families in the present but will also amount to an invaluable investment in their futures. This is about the future of these children. These recommendations, when adopted, will also provide our future teachers, therapists and psychologists with the privilege of working with children with special educational needs and witnessing their development first-hand. It is also important to note and acknowledge, as Deputy Ó Cathasaigh said, the work of the principals, teachers and SNAs in all the schools, including special schools, mainstream schools and special classes. We are extremely grateful for the work that they do.

I will put on record that it should not be repeated that only 40 out of more than 130 special schools provided a summer programme in 2022. I ask the principals to start planning now, with the support that will be announced, as the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, said, over the next number of days. New plans are being put in place. We should start planning for summer 2023 to increase that number and get to a situation where it is the norm that every single special school has a school-based programme. That is what we need to work towards.

I will pick up on a point made by Deputy Ó Murchú regarding RPM. Those of us on the committee, when young Fiacre Ryan, his mother Carmel and his family attended a meeting, know that Fiacre gave one of the most powerful opening statements that will ever be read into the record of the Houses. It is an issue for the committee that it wants to see an RPM trial started in a school. I know of a school in my area where parents are fund-raising. I am attending a fund-raising event on Saturday week to help them to bring in a clinician to teach staff in the school to allow children who are non-verbal to have their voices heard.

8 o’clock

I will read a couple of lines from young Fiachre's opening statement. He said:

I’m afraid of people who feel that people with autism are less than others. I am speaking for all who are hidden in a world of outside shadows, waiting to be heard, waiting to be accepted.

In his book, he writes: "Try to see past the autism and realise we are the same as others". We have a method that we can use to help non-verbal children, and it needs to be supported in schools throughout the country.

I am grateful for the work put into the report by my fellow committee members. I thank them for their dedication to the committee. I look forward to our continued co-operation as we work towards publishing our final report. As has been said by a number of Members, there is cross-party support in respect of this matter. We work very well together to make sure we are working in the interests of the children and their families.

I am grateful to the witnesses who contributed to our deliberations, including the many teachers and special needs assistants who work to provide a successful programme for autistic children and children with special educational needs. It has been a particular privilege for me to work with the autistic community and their families on the report and on the work of the committee in general. Their support, insights and contributions informed the report and will also inform our final report. On my behalf and that of the committee, I thank all those who contributed to producing the report and to this debate. I commend the report to the House.

See this speech in context