Debate contribution: Autism Services

Debate contribution by Mr Alan Chambers on 12 May 2026.

MLA: Mr Alan Chambers
Party at the time: Ulster Unionist Party
Date: 12 May 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Autism Services
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5528398

Text

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate, because autism services represent one of the clearest tests of whether our health and social care system is genuinely capable of delivering person-centred, responsive and compassionate support to those who rely on it the most. At present, however, far too many autistic people and their families feel that the system is still not working for them in the way that it should. For many families, the greatest frustration is not simply the existence of waiting lists, serious though those waiting lists undoubtedly are. Rather, the greatest frustration is the exhaustion that comes from battling fragmented systems, repeatedly telling their story to different agencies, navigating postcode lotteries in service provision and being told repeatedly that support is coming somewhere further down the line. We need to be honest about the consequences of those delays. Delayed diagnosis does not simply create an administrative backlog in the system; it impacts on mental health, educational attainment, family stability and wider life opportunities, leaving many autistic people feeling unsupported at precisely the point when early intervention could make the greatest difference. The evidence clearly demonstrates that, when support is delayed or inaccessible, pressures simply emerge elsewhere in the system, often in much more acute and costly ways. I want to praise Ema Cubitt for the work that she has undertaken in her role as Independent Autism Reviewer. Her reports have highlighted the very real pressures facing autistic people and their families. Even when her findings are difficult for the Executive or the wider system to hear, they help focus attention on areas where improvement is urgently needed. I believe that her contribution has strengthened the wider conversation around autism services considerably. I also welcome the fact that work is progressing through the autism strategy 2023-28 and the associated delivery plans, because important reforms are under way that, if implemented properly, have the potential to improve consistency in access across Northern Ireland.
The recognition that support should not always depend on securing a formal diagnosis is also sensible because, too often, families feel trapped in a bureaucratic race for diagnosis simply to unlock access to basic support services. That is neither efficient nor compassionate. The growing emphasis on neurodiversity awareness and staff training in front-line services is also a positive step in the right direction because, sadly, too many autistic people still report poor experiences when interacting with health services or mental health settings that are simply not designed with neurodivergence needs in mind. However, we also need realism and honesty in the debate, because the Assembly cannot continue to demand expanded autism services, expanded ADHD provision, reduced waiting lists, enhanced respite care and fully staffed multidisciplinary teams while refusing to acknowledge the scale of the financial and workforce pressures facing the wider system. There also needs to be honesty around the growing reliance on private assessments, because increasing numbers of families are now paying privately simply because they cannot tolerate waiting years for assessment in the public system. That raises serious questions about equality of access, because speed of diagnosis and support should never depend upon a family's ability to pay. Behind every figure on a waiting list is a child struggling at school, a parent approaching breaking point or an adult trying to navigate a society that, too often, still fails to properly understand them. They deserve the very best system that we can give them. Hopefully, improvements will continue to come in the time ahead.

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

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