Joint Committee on Autism to meet with Science Foundation Ireland and Middletown Centre for Autism

The meeting in Committee Room 4 of Leinster House will be split into two sessions.

• 11.30am-12.30pm: Representatives from Science Foundation Ireland – Dr Ciarán Seoighe, Deputy Director General; Dr Lorna Lopez, Associate Professor, Maynooth University, Principal Investigator of the Family Genomics Research Group; and Dr Olive Healy, Associate Professor in ABA, Psychology, Trinity College Dublin.
• 12.30pm-2pm: Middletown Centre for Autism, Co Armagh – Mrs Rosemary Steen, Chair; Mr Jim Lennon, CEO; Dr Fiona McCaffrey, Head of Research & Development; and Mrs Jill McCanney, Head of Learning Support and Assessment.

Committee Cathaoirleach Senator Micheál Carrigy said: “The Committee looks forward to meeting Science Foundation Ireland and the Middletown Centre for Autism to hear their views and suggestions regarding Autism Policy.

“In our first session with Science Foundation Ireland, the Committee is interested to hear from Dr Ciarán Seoighe, SFI Deputy Director General, about Creating Our Future – a forum that asked members of the public to suggest topics for research that could benefit the country. Members are particularly interested in the results relevant to the autistic community. The Committee also looks forward to hearing from Dr Lopez and Dr Healy, two researchers who are working in areas of research that relate to some of the responses from members of the public.

“The Committee will then meet with representatives of the Middletown Centre for Autism, which has identified three core groups of service users for whom it develops and offers services: autistic children and young people; parents and guardians of autistic children and young people; and professionals and policy makers working in the autism sector, mainly those based in the education sector but including some health professionals who are school based or provide education services.

“The Middletown Centre in Co Armagh is an important cross-border body that provides a range of services to autistic children across the island of Ireland. Members were very pleased to visit the centre in December and look forward to continuing our discussions on how we can improve the lives of autistic people in Ireland.”

The Joint Committee on Autism has 12 Members, seven from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The meeting in Committee Room 4 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.