Percentage of children diagnosed with autism rises threefold in less than a decade
11 March 2025
About one in 20 schoolchildren are being diagnosed with autism, a threefold increase in less than a decade, Department of Education figures show.
The growing incidence is placing strain on the education system as authorities scramble to find appropriate school places for children with additional needs.
Dozens of parents protested earlier this month outside the department as part of a sleep-out to draw attention to shortages of school places for children with special needs.
Official records show the department has moved from using an estimated autism prevalence rate of 1.5-1.6 per cent among schoolchildren several years ago to 5 per cent.
Published in The Irish Times, 11th March 2025