Madam, - On behalf of Irish Autism Action I would like to address some of the statements made in your edition of January 3rd by the Department of Education in response to Adrienne Murphy's feature on her struggle to educate her son Caoimh.
The Department refers to the provision of funding for home tuition of up to 20 hours a week. Our members' experience is that the Department is currently conducting a review whereby provision is being reduced and tutors previously recognised could be excluded under new Department guidelines.
The Department further states that "it is essential that education intervention for children with ASD [ Autism Spectrum Disorders] needs to be child-centred, tailored to meet the needs of each child rather than matching the needs of a child to one particular version of one intervention".
Irish Autism Action has among our members 12 schools which use Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) to provide individualised education programmes for children with autism. Research documentation which we have previously supplied to the Department in a paper called, "A Comparison of Intensive Behaviour Analytic and Eclectic Treatments for Young Children with Autism" (February 2005) concluded that ABA was scientifically proven to be the most effective intervention. Despite numerous requests the Department has never supplied us with any research that supports an alternative view and we therefore remain committed to ensuring that all children with autism in Ireland receive evidence-based interventions which are recommended by psychologists as being appropriate to their needs. - Yours, etc,
CORMAC RENNICK, Chairman, Irish Autism Action, Summerfield Meadows, Dublin 15.
Madam, - Congratulations to Adrienne Murphy on her powerful and moving account of her brave battle to secure appropriate services for her autistic son (Features, January 2nd and 3rd). This comes very soon after the harrowing RTÉ Prime Time programme highlighting the appalling lack of psychiatric services for young people.
The State has clearly failed to provide for the needs of the most vulnerable children in our society. We may be debating the merits of a children's rights referendum this year, but the current Government undoubtedly has an abysmal record on meeting children's basic needs. - Yours, etc,
IVANA BACIK, Law School, Trinity College, Dublin 2.