Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Lenora Qereqeretabua has urged urgent action to strengthen support for children with autism, telling MPs last week that Fiji must tackle misconceptions and reform education and support systems now. Speaking in Parliament, Qereqeretabua said greater awareness and inclusive schools are needed so families no longer have to navigate systems that were not designed with autistic children in mind.
Qereqeretabua used her speech to rebut persistent myths about autism’s causes, saying “rigorous large-scale studies have thoroughly debunked persistent myths, suggesting that vaccinations, cold parenting styles, specific diets or even exposure to mobile devices cause autism.” She stressed that the condition is rooted in neurobiology — “tied to how the brain is structured and wired” — and is not something that can be caught, triggered by trauma, or created by environmental factors such as screen time, which may influence behaviour but do not change underlying neurobiology.
Highlighting the day-to-day reality for families, Qereqeretabua said parents and carers still face “daily challenges navigating systems that are not designed to support their children.” She pointed to the limited specialised services available across the country and singled out the Pacific Autism Centre in Suva as carrying much of the burden for diagnosis, therapy and family support for the capital and beyond.
Qereqeretabua framed her remarks as a call to action for immediate reforms. “So, the question is not whether more needs to be done. The question is, when,” she told Parliament, urging colleagues and government to move beyond rhetoric toward concrete measures to improve support, early identification and inclusive education pathways for autistic children.
Her intervention places autism and disability support back on the parliamentary agenda at a time when families and service providers say specialised resources remain concentrated in urban centres. While Qereqeretabua did not outline a specific legislative package during the speech, her emphasis on debunking myths and prioritising inclusive education signals a renewed push for policy attention from senior government ranks.
Disability and education advocates have for years sought better training for teachers, more accessible diagnostic services outside Suva, and stronger community awareness programs — gaps Qereqeretabua highlighted in broad terms. Her parliamentary appeal is likely to intensify calls from those groups for concrete timelines and funding commitments to expand support for autistic children and their families across Fiji.