Estimating Autism Prevalence in Ireland: Challenges and Opportunities

About this review

This review examined the extent to which existing data sources and methods could provide a reliable estimate of the prevalence of autism in Ireland.

This review was developed in response to Action 80 of the Autism Innovation Strategy from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE). It was led by the NDA with the support of DCDE, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Health Research Board (HRB) and incorporates feedback from autism stakeholders and public bodies.

The analysis found that in Ireland, no data source nor methodological approach to measure the prevalence of autism is ideal. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. The findings suggest a multi-component approach to estimating the prevalence of autism is warranted.

The planned National Disability Survey and the Irish Health Survey may be an appropriate mechanism by which a national prevalence estimate could be explored. It may also be beneficial to explore the role of the National Ability Supports System to capture more autism data over time. In the long term, the establishment of the Health Data Access Body may provide data to support rich insights into this area.