Northern Ireland politicians were last night urged to back a new approach to the education of autistic children.
Representatives from the charity PEAT (Parents' Education as Autism Therapists) are seeking more funding for the applied behaviour analysis (ABA) approach to teaching autistic children.
But they also warned politicians that they would take their battle to the courts if necessary.
At the invitation of SDLP leader Mr Mark Durkan, PEAT representatives told officials of the Departments of Education and Health at Stormont that only eight children in Northern Ireland have funding for this method of teaching in their homes.
They contrasted this to the eight ABA schools which operate in the Republic with Government funds as well as Government-sponsored home-teaching programmes.
Dr Mickey Keenan from the University of Ulster's School of Psychology at Coleraine and who helped form PEAT, said: "The basic question is - why is it so difficult to persuade professionals that they should be following a science-based intervention? There are numerous pieces of research which show that ABA intervention is effective, yet there is a reluctance on the part of the education system in Northern Ireland to accept the scientific evidence.
"It has taken six years to get this far, and we are now taking the message right to the doorstep of government in Northern Ireland. I am a parent appalled at the treatment of other parents and I have put my heart and soul into helping them."
There is only one full-time professional and one part-time professional trained in ABA education methods in Northern Ireland. PEAT chairman Dr Tony Byrne, who has two autistic children, criticised a recent taskforce set up in the province to examine educational provision for autistic children - because it had no ABA-trained professional among its membership.
"Their report recommends an eclectic approach to include a range of interventions," he observed. "The problem is that the only scientifically validated treatment is an intensive ABA education programme, yet it was not recognised by the task force report.
"My younger son, aged five, has been on an intensive ABA home-education programme since last September, funded by ourselves.
"When he was independently assessed - after seven months - by a clinical psychologist appointed by the Department of Health and Social Services, he was found to have made one year's progress in that period. He continues to make good progress.
"When he began the ABA programme, he had no functional speech - he now has a vocabulary of more than 250 words. Previously, he spent five months undergoing eclectic provision and made no observable progress.
"We don't want parents to have to take legal action to get the education they want for their children, yet, that is what they have to do at present."
Mr Durkan said he shared the frustration of parents with autistic children. He said: "What is needed is a dedicated review of the entire special-needs sector in order to address shortcomings in the educational and health and social service provision available for each child.
He said representatives from the various government departments had been invited to attend a public meeting.
"My aim is to get a more cogent response to the needs of autistic children and their families from both (Health and Education) Departments." - (PA)