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06/08/2008
Long Wait For NW Autistic Kids
There's growing disquiet among parents across the North West who are said to be having to wait over a year to find out if their child has autism.
The area is reported as being amongst the five worst regions in the country for lengthy waiting listings for the diagnosis of autism.
According to figures published in this morning's Irish Independent, there are currently 79 children across Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and West Cavan waiting up to 14 months to see the one consultant child and teenage psychiatrist based in Letterkenny.
In contrast, waiting times in the Dublin region are all less than a year, with six-month lists in the majority of areas.
Parents waiting on a diagnosis for their child cannot travel outside their catchment area to a different Health Service Executive (HSE) region, but voluntary organisations such as Irish Autism Action provide diagnostic services to families from all over the country.
Health experts have already criticised the current system of autism diagnosis and said that it may result in an "early window of opportunity for early intervention being missed".
A spokesperson for the HSE said there is ongoing funding for the services and they are currently recruiting 12 consultant child psychologists with eight additional teams due to go into place nationally.
(BMcC)
The area is reported as being amongst the five worst regions in the country for lengthy waiting listings for the diagnosis of autism.
According to figures published in this morning's Irish Independent, there are currently 79 children across Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and West Cavan waiting up to 14 months to see the one consultant child and teenage psychiatrist based in Letterkenny.
In contrast, waiting times in the Dublin region are all less than a year, with six-month lists in the majority of areas.
Parents waiting on a diagnosis for their child cannot travel outside their catchment area to a different Health Service Executive (HSE) region, but voluntary organisations such as Irish Autism Action provide diagnostic services to families from all over the country.
Health experts have already criticised the current system of autism diagnosis and said that it may result in an "early window of opportunity for early intervention being missed".
A spokesperson for the HSE said there is ongoing funding for the services and they are currently recruiting 12 consultant child psychologists with eight additional teams due to go into place nationally.
(BMcC)
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Ireland WeatherToday:It will be a dry day and after a quite cloudy start, it will soon brighten up with long sunny spells developing. Winds staying light. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:Dry with clear periods in the east at first, then cloudy overnight. Patchy light rain will affect western areas later. Freshening southerly winds. Minimum temperature 2 °C.
