Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Conway-Walsh for raising this issue. I also commend the Senator on her work with and interest in children with disabilities. The Senator is deeply involved in the issue of services for people with disabilities in the Mayo region and I met her recently with some of the families. Many of the concerns the Senator has raised are hugely important to the families. This gives me an opportunity to outline the position on the provision of autism services for people in the west of Ireland.

The HSE have informed me that the autism spectrum disorder, ASD, service in Athenry was established in 2014 with a multidisciplinary clinical team of six. The service provides diagnostic assessment and intervention for children aged six to 18 without an intellectual disability for both counties. At present, there are 71 children on the waiting list for assessment and just under 100 children on the waiting list for intervention. The team also supports an open caseload of just over 350 children. Children accepted to the service stay with the team until they turn 18 years of age. They then go on into adult services.

The team in Athenry currently stands at 3.5 whole-time equivalent posts due to unfilled maternity leave and parental leave. The good news is the service's staffing should increase to 4.9 whole-time equivalent posts next week. A waiting list initiative has been in place since March 2017 to provide some extra resources and to reduce waiting times. This initiative has supported 32 children through speech and language therapy and 54 children through the ASD waiting list initiative.

The HSE is currently engaged in the reconfiguration of existing therapy resources under the national programme on progressing disability services for children and young people. The aim of this programme is to bring about equity of access to disability services and consistency of service delivery, with a clear pathway for children and their families to disability services regardless of where they live, what school the child attends or the nature of the individual child's difficulties. This is an important point.

The ASD service in Athenry will be reconfigured under the progressing disabilities for children and young people programme. The reconfiguration has begun with the transfer of children who are under the age of six to early intervention. This was done in February 2017. Children with autism who have an intellectual disability receive services through the voluntary agencies across the community health organisation area CHO 2. In County Mayo, autism services are provided under the auspices for progressing disability services from birth to 18 years, and children are prioritised based on level of need. This is a multi-agency partnership approach.

I will bring the issues raised today by Senator Conway-Walsh back to the HSE with regard to disability services in Mayo.