Debate contribution: Autism Services

Debate contribution by Mr Timothy Gaston on 12 May 2026.

MLA

Mr Timothy Gaston

Party at the time

Traditional Unionist Voice

Date

12 May 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Autism Services

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5528375

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. The motion addresses one of the most pressing and emotionally draining realities faced by thousands of families across Northern Ireland. Autism does not affect only the individual child; it affects entire families, particularly parents and siblings. Every aspect of daily life is impacted on. In truth, many of those families feel abandoned by the system and let down. The motion refers to waiting lists, respite pressures and transition failures. Those are not abstract policy terms: behind every one of those phrases is a family. I have had occasion to ask the Education Minister about a case in which, mere months out from starting school, a child with severe autism remained undiagnosed, their parents at their wits' end about what to do about the situation. Thankfully, after it was raised in the House, the case started to move at pace. However, how many other cases never even come to the Minister's attention? One parent described to me what life was like raising an autistic child. They said that being an autism parent means existing in a constant state of fight or flight, always having to be 10 steps ahead, always looking for danger, always being on guard and never fully relaxing or switching off. They made the point that autism affects siblings too, which is, all too often, ignored in debates such as this. They spoke about children who have never really had what most people would call a "normal" childhood, because so much of family life revolves around keeping siblings safe. Holidays are not really holidays. Days out become military operations. Simple things that most families take for granted become impossible, yet we are told that, in many cases, those siblings never complain. That burden is largely unseen. The pack before Members today repeatedly acknowledges the failure of current services. The motion refers to:

"the lack of a cross-government transition pathway for autistic young people".

The Department's material effectively confirms that criticism. The SEN reform agenda repeatedly mentions the need for "pathways of opportunity" to move into adulthood for young people with SEN at post-16 and post-19. It calls for a transitional support programme. It acknowledges the need for work between Education, Health and Economy to create proper adult pathways. The fact that those proposals are necessary tells us something important. It tells us that the current system is not working, and nowhere is that clearer than in what happens after the age of 19. That is why I tabled today's amendment. In England, there exists a statutory framework through education, health and care plans that extends to the age of 25; Northern Ireland has no equivalent legislative safety net. Here, many families effectively fall off a cliff after 19. Ministerial answers on the issue acknowledge that there is ongoing work simply to develop and pilot regional transition protocols. However, we are told that funding is still being sought for full implementation. Why is that? I remind the House that, because of Barnett consequentials, with any scheme funded in England, Northern Ireland receives the funding necessary to run a similar scheme here; in fact, for every £1 spent on such a scheme in the south of England, the Executive get £1·24. I therefore ask this: where has the money for those schemes gone? What do the Executive believe to be more important? When I ask such questions of the Finance Minister, I am told that Barnett consequentials are unhypothecated and that the Executive collectively decide how they are allocated. What does that mean for the man and woman and the family out there? It means that the Executive got money to run a similar scheme to the GB one and gets it on an ongoing basis but decided to do something else with it. That is shameful. It is a disgrace. One parent told me that they are already gearing up for the fight over summer support provision, because their child does not attend a special school. Think about that. That parent is not enjoying family life or planning for a summer holiday; they are preparing for battle with the system.

There is another uncomfortable truth that everyone in the House must confront. Increasingly, families who can afford to do so are being forced to go private. One parent said that they have to travel to Dublin for occupational therapy and Tomatis therapy because the support is either unavailable or was refused in Northern Ireland. That should shame us all, and the problem is not getting any smaller. In a recent answer to a question from Ms Hunter, the Minister of Health said that demand for autism assessment and support has grown significantly across Northern Ireland in recent years. The Department's strategy states:

"There is no 'one size fits all'".

That is true, but there should be at least a minimum guarantee that families will not be abandoned. There should be a guarantee that the transition to adulthood is planned rather than chaotic. There should be guarantees that siblings and carers are recognised, that support does not simply evaporate at the age of 19 and that parents are not forced to bankrupt themselves travelling to pay for basic therapies privately. The reality is that many parents of autistic children feel exhausted, isolated and unheard. The Assembly cannot solve every problem overnight, but it can at least acknowledge the reality that those parents face. We can begin by admitting that Northern Ireland is behind where it should be in providing structured, legally protected, post-19 support for autistic young people and those with special educational needs. We can acknowledge that the Executive have received money for a system of support but are simply not providing it. That is what supporting the amendment means. I will be asking exactly on what the money that should be being devoted to supporting those children and their families is being spent. I commend the amendment to the House.

990 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:35 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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