(Ireland) Officials announce "new autism assessment service"; more than 20,000 children waiting
A NEW autism assessment service will be launched today to make it faster and easier for children to get diagnosed and access supports.
Children and Disability Minister Norma Foley and Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will today brief the Cabinet on a new Autism and Intervention Pathways Protocol.
The new service will provide a standardised autism assessment for children and adults that will be rolled out across all HSE agencies.
The protocol has been developed within the Department of Health in consultation with autistic people, clinicians in the HSE and staff in disability services.
The aim of the new service is to significantly speed up the autism assessment process which has left some children waiting for years for supports.
Recent figures show that there are more than 20,000 children waiting for an assessment of needs for health and disability supports.
It’s understood a large part of this demand for assessments of needs is from children waiting for an autism diagnosis.
Delays in getting an assessment of needs can impact supports such as access to special education for children.
The Irish Sun understands that the new autism protocol will not replace the assessment of needs process.
Instead, the Government is hoping that the faster autism protocol will give people a quicker pathway to a diagnosis and supports so that they do not need to go through the assessment of needs. . . .
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