While autism is described in the report of the task force set up by the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, as a "silent and hidden" condition, the State's failings in terms of providing facilities for children affected by it are described as glaring and obvious.
Support services are difficult to access; therapeutic support is often unavailable; there is little understanding of the condition itself; teachers are not trained properly to handle it; diagnosis takes place too late and is often incorrect.
These are just some of the milder criticisms. Others suggest parents are often deliberately excluded from meetings by health and education officials while their child's future is being discussed.
In others cases the State refuses to step in and help autistic children and their parents are left to pay the full financial costs for years.
Thumbing through the report it is hard to find any part of the State's services which is complimented. The people who are most critical are the parents of autistic children themselves.
One of those, Kathy Sinnott, whose name has become synonymous with the cause of autistic children, last night said the report was a "good start" but the basic thinking behind it was flawed.
She said a public inquiry which looked at how the State treated special needs children in the past and at present was the answer.
"My overall reaction is there is a lot of good in it. But the ideas are still coming from the wrong place. They are trying to patch up a system which has already failed kids like Jamie and others for so long," she said.
She said the wording in regard to constitutional change was too fuzzy and a constitutional amendment which provided for education "without regard to age" was needed. She added the Government was planning another referendum on Nice, so it could put a wording on education to the people on the same day.
The report estimates there are 2,398 autistic children needing services at present, but admits this is a conservative figure. Few of the parents of these children appear satisfied with what is available.
Their stories drift in and out of the report's main section and they illuminate the deep-seated problems more than any amount of statistics or graphs.
There is the 29-year-old man, who, according to his parents, has experienced only "four years in his life which were satisfactory to them". Not surprisingly, this was when suitable schooling was provided.
The parents say of this: "It was a watershed in a 15-year period of total frustration - no formal diagnosis, no understanding, no direction, no facilities. . .just get rid of the problem".
While the report trenchantly criticises politicians and civil servants for their stewardship of special education and related services, even those who might be expected to be familiar with autism appear to have sizeable gaps in their knowledge.
"Low awareness of autism among health and education professionals and insufficient understanding of the characteristics and impairments associated with autism have led to severe difficulties for families who may be excluded from intervention and support services," it states.
More alarmingly, the report says there are many cases of misdiagnosis where parents are given the wrong advice and proceed for years without knowing that what they may be doing could be damaging to their child in the long run.
Other special needs children are not diagnosed - rightly or wrongly - for years, says the report.
"Although some children in Ireland are now diagnosed before or by the age of five, many high-functioning children with Asperger's syndrome a milder form of autism are not diagnosed until adolescence or later. The delay is unsatisfactory and unacceptable."
So what is to be done?
The report supports reform of the Constitution, but shies away from suggesting a wording for any amendement.
It says a "basic learning for all", including adults, is the right way forward. Legislation may also be needed.
The question of whether those over 18 should have a constitutional right to education was at the heart of the Sinnott case.
Ms Sinnott last night said the constitutional amendement was the only way forward and she said she was surprised the report did not say this unambiguously.
She said the models outlined in the report tended to favour giving money to the providers of services rather than directly to the children.
"The money should follow the child. That is what is missing from the report. There are too many structures and policies, when what matters is what is the answer to one question - 'Is the child progressing or not?' ".
She said future provision should be "needs based" and should be allocated by the State as soon as suspected problems with children began, not from the date when a diagnosis was done.
The report also recommends a forum on autism and related conditions, but she said this would just be another "talking shop".
Main Points
There should be a new bill of rights for special needs children.
Urgent need for constitutional reform to provide legal safeguards for these children and their parents.
The Department of Education should make available a range of approaches and therapies to meet the needs of each child.
Parents should have primacy in decision-making process as soon as their child has been identified as having particular education needs.
Parents should be allowed to attend all meetings about their child.
Parents should have access to information on all special education options.
Urgent research should be done on the prevalence of autism.
Classes in special needs education should be part of the basic training for all teachers.