More than 450 Galway kids waiting for autism assessment

There are 461 children in Galway waiting for an autism assessment according to Galway East TD Anne Rabbitte, who branded the backlog “disgraceful”.

Information provided to Deputy Rabbitte from a parliamentary questioned showed that there are 353 children waiting for their initial assessment alone with the Galway Roscommon Autism Spectrum Disorder Service.

A staggering 191 children on the waiting list have been waiting more than two years to be seen.

“I knew from numerous conversations with constituents that there was a major backlog but it’s only now we’re seeing just how bad the situation is and it’s shocking,” Anne Rabbitte said.

“The impact on a child left waiting for intervention for two years cannot be under estimated. It could be detrimental to their development.”

The Fianna Fáil TD said that based on the number of parents contacting her office about this, the situation is worsening, not improving.

She blamed the backlog on a “hands off” approach taken by Fine Gael, accusing the government of mismanaging resources.