Vol. 522 No. 4
133 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children the services which are provided by the South Eastern Health Board in regard to the earliest possible diagnosis of autism; the services that are available to the child with autism and the child's parents following diagnosis; if there is a full range of paramedical services available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18940/00]
134 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people who have been diagnosed as having autism in the Waterford constituency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18941/00]
135 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children the proposals, if any, he has to improve the level of service provided for people with autism in the Waterford constituency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18944/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 to 135, inclusive, together.
In recent years significant additional funding has been allocated for the development of services for persons with autism. Some £4.6 million has been provided nationally since 1998, with a full year cost of £5.1 million in 2001, specifically for the development of health related support services for persons with autism.
These services include assessment, early intervention services, outreach services provided by multidisciplinary support teams, day, residential and respite services. While new additional services specifically for persons with autism have been and will continue to be developed, many persons with autism are in receipt of services within the intellectual disability services and have benefited generally from the development of new residential, respite and day services which have been substantially enhanced in recent years. Since 1998, £770,000 has been allocated to the South Eastern Health Board region from the funding available for the development of autism specific services.
