It will be the parents of autistic children who will finally force the Government to provide "the best form of education" for their children, the president of the American Organisation for Autism Research said yesterday. Kitty Hollandreports.
Speaking at a conference in Dublin on Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) education, Dr Peter Gerhardt said the intensive form of instruction was the best way of equipping autistic children and adolescents with the skills for a decent quality of life.
"I do believe it is the best but, you know, when I sit in front of a government committee telling them this, they say: 'Of course you're going to say that. You make your living out of it.' It is the parents who will fight for it," he told The Irish Times.
"The families of a child with autism are already in a very stressful situation, so when I come and tell them about the possibilities that are there if they can get ABA, well, it can be very depressing for them. Or it can energise them. It is the parents who will change the system and finally make governments provide ABA for their children."
Dr Gerhardt, who has more than 25 years' experience working with adolescents and adults with autism, said the provision of ABA in the US was "pretty good", though it varied from state to state.
He said it was provided as a matter of course for babies. Once the children reached school age, they could "get good ABA" to the age of 21, if their parents advocated strongly for it.
ABA had been found to be "cost effective", he continued.
"If you are going to give an autistic child the best chance of being a productive, fulfilled, involved individual, you have to start as early as possible to provide effective, intense instruction in managing everyday skills and life."
The need was most intense while the child was young, and the need reduced as the young person moved into adulthood.
"If it [ ABA] is not provided, you end up with someone who is sitting at home, unable to live independently, and the government ends up having to pay for supports and services," he added.
The conference, Why ABA Makes Such a Difference, continues today at Trinity College Dublin and is hosted by the Red Door school for autistic children.
The conference is also looking at such issues as challenging behaviour, social skills and what happens after diagnosis.