Fears are growing that a continued rise in the number of neurodivergent children on disability payments will see more transitioning to welfare dependency in their teens and into poverty in adulthood.
The concerns come as the number of people receiving domiciliary care allowance – a monthly, non-means-tested benefit to carers of disabled children – continues to increase.
Unpublished data, provided to The Irish Times under Freedom of Information legislation, shows numbers getting the allowance are up as much as 46 cent in some areas in the last five years.
The total number of domiciliary care allowance (DCA) recipients at the end of 2024 was 57,364 – 30 per cent higher than in 2020 when the total was 44,279, and 110 per cent higher than in 2014 when 27,268 people received the payment.
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The continued upward trajectory in numbers getting the €360-a-month payment has been described as “a concern” by Department of Social Protection officials. They say “much of the increase” is accounted for by increasing diagnoses of neurodivergence in children, particularly autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Their worry centres around data indicating “more than 50 per cent of children in respect of whom DCA is paid transition on to a disability payment on reaching age 16″, says a briefing note for Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary, published in February.
“Dependency on a disability payment is negatively correlated with employment take-up and positively correlated with poverty and social exclusion.”
Ireland has one of the highest rates of unemployment among disabled people in Europe, an issue the department is seeking to address as it urges employers to explore supports, such as the Wage Subsidy Scheme, which assists with employing people with disabilities.
Increases in DCA are more dramatic in some counties, the unpublished data shows.
In Co Meath, for example, numbers are up 46 per cent in the five years to 2024, from 1,818 to 2,649.
In Co Cavan the increase is 43.3 per cent (651 to 933); in Co Kilkenny it is 41.6 per cent (773 to 1,095) and in Co Laois the increase is 40.6 per cent (948 to 1,333).
In Dublin numbers are up 32.4 per cent since 2020 – from 10,795 to 14,303; in Cork they are up 25 per cent – from 6,130 to 7,706, and, in Limerick the increase is 22.7 per cent, from 2,303 to 2,826 in five years.
Despite department concerns, advocacy groups such as ADHD Ireland say the increases do not even reflect the true rate of neurodivergence.
“We are coming from a very, very low base,” says Ken Kilbride, chief executive of the charity, and the father of a young person with autism.
“The figures have not yet caught up with the reality. Of the estimated 5 per cent [of the population with ADHD] maybe just 10 per cent have been assessed and treated,” said Mr Kilbride.
He said correctly diagnosing and supporting neurodivergent children would save money in the long term, as they would be less likely to be misdiagnosed with anxiety and depression, less likely to be in mental health services, more likely to be in employment and less dependent on welfare in adulthood.
He estimated the socioeconomic cost of undiagnosed, untreated adult ADHD was about €1.8 billion a year in Ireland – in lost earnings, and so lower tax pay by individuals, and in health supports.
“So finding these disabilities in children, treating them and supporting their parents is saving hundreds of millions for the HSE and the society.”
A department spokesman said: “The growth in DCA recipients aligns with broader trends seen in carer’s allowance and disability allowance, reflecting an overall rise in the number of individuals requiring care.
“A number of factors may contribute to this increase, including population growth, changing demographics and increasing awareness of the scheme in communities.
“The number and percentage of DCA recipients whose condition falls into the category of mental and behavioural diseases is increasing year on year, with a significant increase in the diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The diagnostic criteria for ASD have been lowered in the last few years.
“The department closely monitors trends and statistics, ensuring its schemes are regularly reviewed for effectiveness and financial sustainability.”
