Irish Society for Autism

The Irish Society for Autism was created in 1963, and has long campaigned for the cause of Autism in Ireland and Worldwide. We are the longest established specialist service for people with Autism in Ireland. The Society was formed with the goal of creating awareness about Autism, and convincing the authorities that early diagnosis and specialized education would greatly enhance the quality of life for people with Autism.
The Irish Society for Autism is a founder member of Autism Europe and the World Autism Organization. The Executive Director, Pat Matthews, was the first President of the World Autism Organization.
Since 1963, the Irish Society for Autism has been providing information for thousands of people, parents, families, educators, students and health care workers. We have helped to establish residential services for adults with Autism in Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Meath, Westmeath and Wexford. The Irish Society for Autism has been at the forefront of residential services for adults with Autism for over 30 years. We are a parent driven organization, a not for profit society, who provided services where none existed. Our priority is and always has been the people in the service, their families and the staff.
The Irish Society for Autism has been experiencing some difficulty in achieving regulation with HIQA. These have been very challenging times for all concerned including our residents and staff, many of whom have been with us for a long time. The Irish Society for Autism welcomes the improvements in legislation and the introduction of standards in services for adults with Autism. Hopefully these standards will ensure a better quality of life for all people with disabilities in residential services.
It has been  entered in an agreement with the HSE to ensure the continuation of services for our residents. They are a small organization and  they believe that, in the long term, this decision is in the best interest of our residents.