Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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96. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline the engagements her Department has had with other Government Departments, Ministers and State agencies, in order to deliver therapies for children with autism, to include assistive technology solutions, implementation of best practice and innovation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32284/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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My department has engaged significantly with stakeholders to address the needs of children with disabilities, including those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Since becoming Minister of State for Disabilities, I have worked with key partners across government and the HSE to ensure the delivery of therapies through the 93 Children’s Disability Network Teams.

The Service Improvement Programme Board for the Autistic Community has been tasked with leading out on an agreed set of priorities that will have greatest impact in terms of shaping how services can be delivered to autistic people.

The Assessment and Pathways Working Group was established to develop a standardised assessment approach for use in all services dealing with the assessment of Autism. This protocol seeks to ensure that every assessment is of an acceptable and agreed standard, regardless of which service is being accessed.

The 2nd and final Phase of the Protocol piloting is now complete, as is the independent evaluation undertaken by the Centre for Effective Services. Following incorporation of learnings from the evaluation and further consultation with professional bodies and civil society, we anticipate that national rollout of the final version of the protocol will commence with training in each of the 6 Health Regions in Quarter 3 2025.

My department is also progressing a Project Collaboration Agreement with the World Health Organization which is focused on domestic objectives including workforce optimisation through Digital Assistive Technology (DAT), hosting one of two Global DAT/Workforce Expos in Dublin and the delivery of an independent Assistive Technology Capacity (ATA-C) Review. The ATA-C will evaluate Ireland’s capacity to provide equitable access to assistive technology and was conducted by technical experts from the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO EUROPE). This process is nearing completion, and the recommendations will be submitted to Government by the WHO EUROPE in the coming months and will inform Government on best approaches to improve assistive technology access.

This Government is committed to responding to the needs of autistic children in a holistic manner and recognises the need for cross-Government coordination and engagement to achieve this. For this reason, Government published its Autism Innovation Strategy in August 2024. This Strategy identifies 83 actions that can make a meaningful difference to the lives of autistic people over the 18-month timeframe of the Strategy, or actions which provide a solid foundation for improved mainstream accommodation of autism going forward. Eleven Government Departments and a number of State Agencies have contributed actions to the Strategy,

Pillar 4 of the Strategy, ‘Building Capacity’, recognises the value of innovative assistive technologies and the vital role they can play in the day-to-day lives of autistic people. Under this Pillar, the HSE has committed to providing training to health and social care professionals on the range of assistive products, technology, and forms of Augmentative and Alternative Communication that can help autistic people express themselves and better engage in daily activities. It will also develop an introductory guide for parents on finding the right assistive technology for their child, and evaluate the impact and benefits of the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Support Programme to inform future AAC initiatives.