THE PROVISION of structured services for teenagers with autism once they finish school this year is not being guaranteed due to Health Service Executive (HSE) cutbacks, it has been claimed.
Seven adolescents about to finish their formal education at Setanta Special School in Stillorgan, Dublin, are unsure if any structured day or residential care services will be provided for them in September.
The school principal, Loman Ó Loinsigh, said in other years transition arrangements would be put in place for the teenagers for a number of months before they left school so their transfer to the adult services could be seamless. This had not happened this year due to a lack of funding.
Geraldine Graydon, the parent of an 18-year-old about to leave the school, said the failure to provide the €36,000 a year to keep some of the adolescents in structured services was a false economy by the HSE. This was because if they were left at home with nothing to do they would regress and, ultimately, one-to-one care for them could cost the HSE up to €200,000 a year.
She felt her son and his classmates were being “abandoned” this year simply because the HSE had to stay within budget.
The problem is a national one, she added.
Peter Byrne, the chief executive of Gheel Autism Services, which provides care for 65 adults every day across Dublin and Kildare, said his heart went out to the parents of the adolescents who were now finishing school. “It’s a long, long time since something like this happened. It hasn’t happened since the 1980s.”
The HSE said it was aware of the school-leavers from Setanta Special School and “is cognisant of the need for transition from school to adult services”.
It added that €50 million had been provided to the HSE for additional services for people with disabilities this year.
It planned to provide an additional 467 day places for persons with intellectual disability and autism with the money, as well as a further 200 residential places and 53 respite places.
“The commencement of these developments will ensure that people with disabilities leaving school and seeking other service provision will have access to placements appropriate to their needs and interests.”