The latest statistics from the Department of Health shows that 1 in 21 school age children are now being diagnosed with autism in Northern Ireland. This is a prevalence increase of 62% over the past five years. The figures extracted from the Northern Ireland School Census shows the highest prevalence rate of school age children diagnosed with autism is within the Belfast Trust, with boys being three times more likely to have a diagnosis of autism than girls.
These latest figures although alarming, are not unexpected. The pressure on autism services in Northern Ireland is now at breaking point. In some trust areas parents are still waiting up to three years on an assessment and support services are few and far between. Every child with autism should be diagnosed as early as possible and receive a tailored early intervention package to ensure the best outcomes for that child. However, it is often left to the likes of Autism NI to fill this void but due to the current level of demand on our services, we are already stretched to full capacity.
Autism NI along with the All Party Group on Autism has worked extremely hard over the past number of years to highlight the many issues facing our autism community and the new Autism Amendment Bill which was passed in March, is the key to the real change that is so badly needed. However, it is imperative that we have a working government in Northern Ireland to implement this legislation properly. Autistic children and adults are a vibrant part of our community. They are our friends, neighbours, work colleagues and family and they deserve to have the same rights, support services and opportunities as every other person in Northern Ireland. They certainly should not be at a disadvantage because they are autistic, which is currently what we are seeing in reality. Therefore, I would like of all of our politicians to take a long, hard look at these new statistics, and I appeal to them that the work towards a better future for our autistic people needs to start now.Kerry Boyd
