Dear Ministry of Social Development,

I am requesting the following information under the Official Information Act 1982.

I run Neuro Support, a Christchurch-based disability support service. I am trying to understand how often intellectual disability co-occurs with autism and with ADHD among Disability Support Services (DSS) clients, and my questions are about what your administrative records are able to show.

1. Does the DSS client administrative system record any secondary or co-occurring disabilities or diagnoses in addition to a client's principal disability?

2. If it does:
(a) How many DSS clients in the 2023/24 financial year have both intellectual disability and autism (Autism Spectrum Disorder) recorded?
(b) Is ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) recorded anywhere in the client record as a secondary or co-occurring condition? If so, how many clients with a principal disability of intellectual disability also have an ADHD notation?

3. If secondary or co-occurring conditions are not recorded in the system, please simply confirm that, so that I understand the information does not exist rather than being withheld.

If any part of this request would require substantial collation or research, please contact me so I can refine it rather than declining it.

Yours faithfully,

Jamie Robinson
Neuro Support