Written Answers. - Autism Services.
Brian Cowen
Ceist:
60
Mr. Cowen
asked the
Minister for Health
the resources and assistance, if any, being given to the Gheel Training Group and Dunfirth Community, who are trying to provide care for people with autism; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10841/97]
Brian Cowen
Ceist:
61
Mr. Cowen
asked the
Minister for Health
whether the families of people with autism will be consulted and fully involved in decision making on their children or spouses in relation to the provision of services for people with autism; whether a database has been set up; if so, if it will include individual diagnoses of individual cases; whether children, young adults and adults suffering from autism will be included in the database; when he expects the Regional Mental Handicap Co-ordination Committee to bring their findings regarding the provision of services for those suffering from autism to his attention; and the number of people with autism who are being currently held at psychiatric hospitals due to the lack of specialised care units and the specialised personnel in the community care services.
[10842/97]
Brian Cowen
Ceist:
62
Mr. Cowen
asked the
Minister for Health
the number of people suffering from autism currently placed in psychiatric hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10843/97]
Brian Cowen
Ceist:
63
Mr. Cowen
asked the
Minister for Health
the specialised care, if any, which has been made available to those suffering with autism; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10844/97]
Brian Cowen
Ceist:
64
Mr. Cowen
asked the
Minister for Health
the number of residential places which are being provided for those classed as having severe autism; and the estimated number of people in the country who are suffering from severe autism.
[10845/97]
Brian Cowen
Ceist:
65
Mr. Cowen
asked the
Minister for Health
the reason for the delay in the response of the health boards' regional mental handicap co-ordinating committee in respect of the recommendations of the 1994 report entitled, Services for Persons with Autism; and if it is recommended that any of the 60 residential places to be made available for people with mental handicap would be specifically allocated for those people with autism.
[10846/97]
Brian Cowen
Ceist:
66
Mr. Cowen
asked the
Minister for Health
how many of the nine recommendations made in the 1994 report by his Department entitled, Services for Persons with Autism, have been implemented.
[10847/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 60 to 66, inclusive, together.
Due to problems with definition, the exact prevalence of autism in Ireland is still open to debate. Depending on the diagnostic criteria being applied, up to five per 10,000 children manifest autism to a marked degree. A greater number may show lesser symptoms and it has been suggested that there is an "autistic continuum" which stretches from those severely affected to those with only a mild disability.
I will shortly be publishing an assessment of need for services identified from the new intellectual disability database. Information on the service needs of persons with autism is included on the database. Specific medical conditions are not recorded as the focus of the database is on identifying the need for services rather that the specific condition of individuals. However, under a special initiative, the health boards have been obtaining additional information on the specific needs of this group in their regions as part of the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Department's policy document on Services to Persons with Autism. Information on the number of persons with autism in psychiatric hospitals is not available. However, my Department is committed to the transfer of persons inappropriately accommodated in psychiatric hospitals into more appropriate care settings.
The policy document on services to persons with autism was published in 1994. Additional funding amounting to £225,000 in 1994 and £300,000 in 1995 was made available for the development of services to persons with autism in line with my Department's policy document. The majority of persons with autism are in receipt of services within the mental handicap services including multi-disciplinary support services, residential, respite and day services and home support services. However, a minority do require specialised facilities. Specific services for persons with autism are available in the Eastern, North-Eastern, Southern and Western Health Boards which provide between 128 and 130 residential places overall. Planning for the development of further specialist facilities as outlined in the policy document is being included by the health boards in their overall consideration of the needs of persons with a mental handicap and autism in their regions.
Some of the additional funding provided in 1997 for the overall development of services to persons with a mental handicap is also being used to further enhance services to persons with autism in line with the recommendations outlined in my Department's policy document.
Details of the precise services to be put in place in each health board region are agreed by the regional mental handicap co-ordinating committees in line with the priority needs which have been identified for each region. The committees are representative of the health boards, the voluntary service providers and parents and families of persons with a mental handicap in each health board area. Both the statutory and voluntary agencies involved in the provision of services to persons with a mental handicap and autism welcome the involvement of parents and families of persons with autism as part of the care plan process which is in operation within the services.
With reference to the implementation of the recommendations contained in the policy document, work is ongoing on the enhancement of the overall level of support and diagnostic services which are available to persons with autism, and the provision of specialist residential and day services.
The Department of Education has put in place two pilot initiatives, in Dublin and Limerick for children with autism. Funding has been made available by my Department to the Irish Society for Autism for research into the mortality rate and causes of mortality in persons with autism.
As I have already stated, health boards have been obtaining additional information on the specific needs of persons with autism and the cost of providing for those needs. A number of initiatives have also been taken in relation to the provision of training for staff caring for persons with autism.
In relation to the Deputy's query concerning the Gheel and Dunfirth Community, £826,624 is being provided to Gheel and £724,002 to Dunfirth by the Eastern Health Board in 1997. The board also provides transport to some of the people attending services in Gheel and Dunfirth.
