There has been a staggering 67 per cent increase in the number of school-age children in Northern Ireland with a diagnosis of autism, with the rate for girls increasing at a higher level than for boys.
A new study by the Department of Health, which includes children with Asperger syndrome, reveals an increase across all health trusts in Northern Ireland.
The DOH reports that although boys are five times more likely to be affected, the rate in girls diagnosed in the region has been increasing at a higher rate, on average by 14 per cent each year from 2008/09 to 2013/14. In contrast, the male population saw an average increase of 10 per cent over the same period.
Entitled The Prevalence of Autism (including Asperger’s Syndrome) in School Age Children in Northern Ireland 2014, the report should ring alarm bells in the region, which has a dearth of autism provision. This is despite there currently being an estimated 20,000-30,000 people living in the region who have an ASD.
Gillian Loughran, editor of Autism Eye, said that a substantial number of parents from Northern Ireland, often reporting high levels of stress, have contacted the magazine for advice on how to help their children with autism.
Loughran said: “Early diagnosis, early intervention and autism-specific provision for children and adults with autism are needed to address the condition. All of these actions have to be given a high priority, as numbers in Northern Ireland are clearly soaring out of control.”
She called on autism charities in Northern Ireland to do more than offer ‘tea and sympathy’ to parents. She said: “It’s time to ask whether advice and information should be the main thrust of autism funding when lives are being destroyed because of an urgent need for more services.”
Autism, it emerged from the study, is more prevalent in areas of deprivation in Northern Ireland. The full report can be read here.
Published: 1 October 2014
