John Gormley
Question:620 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the measures his Department has introduced to implement the recommendations from the task force on autism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1112/03]
Written Answers. - Autism Services.
The task force on autism, which was established by the Department of Education and Science, has put forward a range of recommendations ranging from measures aimed at identifying prevalence rates, through issues relating to diagnosis and assessment, the centrality of the role of parents, the required models of education and health care services, the need for specialist training for those involved in service provision, to structural, constitutional and policy issues. The scope of the task force's recommendations is such as to require a multi-faceted response involving educational and health care inputs. The task force's recommendations are currently being considered by both Departments.
There has been a significant investment in both health related and educational supports for persons with autism in recent years. Additional funding of €13.3 million has been allocated by my Department to services for persons with autism or intellectual disability in 2003 to meet the full year cost of the 2002 developments and to further enhance the health related support services to children with autism or intellectual disability. This funding is in addition to the very significant revenue investment, amounting to €188 million, which has been made in these services since 1997 and which is built into the ongoing budget base.
The additional funding provided by this and the previous Government between 2000 and 2002 was used to put in place, in addition to a range of other services, more than 900 new residential, 380 new respite and around 2,000 new day places for people with autism and those with an intellectual disability.
In particular €14.6 million has been invested by my Department in health related support services for children with autism or intellectual disability nationally between 1998 and 2002. A further €4 million has been allocated to these services in 2003. This includes diagnostic and assessment services, early intervention, home support and out-reach support to children of schoolgoing age. The Government is committed to the ongoing development of these services as outlined in the programme for Government.
John Gormley
Question:621 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the latest figures for autism in Ireland; the reason for the significant increase in autism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1113/03]
The latest figures, provided by the health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority, for children with autism in Ireland are:
|
ERHA* |
358 |
|
MHB |
144 |
|
MWHB |
115 |
|
NEHB |
160 |
|
NWHB |
145 |
|
SEHB |
192 |
|
SHB |
285 |
|
WHB |
126 |
|
Total |
1,525 |
*There are also an additional 184 children awaiting further assessment in the ERHA.
My Department has asked the health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority for information in relation to the number of adults with autism known to them in their regions. This information will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.
While some persons with autism, who also have an intellectual disability, are included on the national intellectual disability database, it does not contain information on this population as a whole. For example in the ERHA region, the children's autism services come under the child and family services and these children are not on the database. The adult services are within the disability services and these would, in the main, be included on the database. There is also the fact that parents of children with autism may not want their children entered on the intellectual disability database. The database does not identify persons with specific disabilities such as Down's syndrome or autism into separate groupings as its principal role is as a planning and monitoring tool. The development of an information system which would give a level of information on the needs of this group, similar to that already available from the intellectual disability database, is being followed up with the health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority.
John Gormley
Question:622 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the measures he intends to introduce to assist children with autism and those with autistic children. [1114/03]
Additional funding of €13.3 million has been allocated to services for persons with an intellectual disability or autism in 2003 to meet the full year cost of the 2002 developments and to further enhance the health related support services to children with an intellectual disability or autism. This funding is in addition to the very significant revenue investment, amounting to €188 million, which has been made in these services since 1997 and which is built into the ongoing budget base.
The additional funding provided by this and the previous Government between 2000 and 2002 was used to put in place, in addition to a range of other services, over 900 new residential, 380 new respite and around 2,000 new day places for people with an intellectual disability and those with autism.
In particular €14.6 million has been invested in health related support services for children with autism or intellectual disability nationally between 1998 and 2002. A further €4 million has been allocated to these services in 2003. This includes diagnostic and assessment services, early intervention, home support and outreach support to children of schoolgoing age.
However, many health boards and specialist service providers have been experiencing difficulties in recruiting allied health professionals, in particular speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists. This is due primarily to the general shortage of available staff in these grades nationally.
Health boards and agencies have been and are continuing to undertake intensive recruitment drives at home and abroad. My Department has asked the health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority to explore other approaches which might result in the maintenance of an existing level of service provision or enhancement in line with agreed services developments for children using the resources allocated to the services. It is a matter for the ERHA and the health boards to decide on the specific approaches, which they may consider appropriate in this area.
In response to my concern regarding the high level of vacancies my Department commissioned a report from Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates on current and future supply and demand conditions in the labour market for speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. The study was published in July 2001. The report recommends a major expansion in the number of training places available for those professions.
An interagency working group was established comprising representatives of my Department, the Department of Education and Science and the Higher Education Authority (HEA). The HEA, following a formal bidding process between third level educational institutions, has allocated an additional 175 training places to respond to the training needs identified in the study. In addition the Northern Area Health Board undertook a concerted overseas recruitment drive on behalf of all health boards. Procedures are being streamlined to minimise the length of time taken to validate foreign qualifications consistent with the primary need to ensure that all therapists working in the health sector are appropriately trained and qualified.
As the Deputy can see from the measures outlined above, the Government has been and is continuing to work to expand the level of support available nationally to children with autism or intellectual disability.