Laois child can't start school in September due to speech and language therapy delays

The chronic shortage, and in some cases absence, of specialist therapies such as speech and language for children in Laois must be urgently addressed, one local councillor has argued. 

Some children in Laois have been so impacted by delays in services that families have been told to hold back on allowing them to start school.

Councillor Tommy Mulligan has requested Laois County Council to formally seek clarification from the HSE and National Council for Special Education regarding the provision, availability, and delivery of specialist assessments and therapeutic supports for children and students with disabilities in Laois. 

This is the second time the Independent councillor has brought forth such a motion, having previously raised the issue this time last year. Unfortunately since then, Cllr Mulligan stated that nothing has changed but instead things have got worse.

Speaking at the meeting of Laois County Council on Monday, February 23, Cllr Mulligan said: "The population of the county is continuing to grow, the number of children in need of assessments continues to grow and the number of children who are entitled to the specialised therapies continue to grow."

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The chronic shortage of Assessment of Needs Officers in Laois has led to a major delay in referrals. Cllr Mulligan argued that it is taking two years for some children to be assessed and referred which directly goes against the HSE's own guidelines of assessments taking place within three months of referrals and then completed within 6 months. 

Even once a child is diagnosed, there's a lack and even absence of services available in the county. Laois has no Occupational Therapists or Behavioural Therapists. Cllr Mulligan also stated that there is a huge shortage of physiotherapists, psychologists, as well as speech and language therapists in the county.

These delays and gaps in services are having a detrimental impact on some families in the county. 

Cllr Mulligan told a story of a family in Portlaoise who waited three years for their young child to receive speech and language therapy. The child was diagnosed at 2-years-old, however the parents were forced to seek out a therapist privately when the call would not come.

The nearest therapist they could get was in Dublin, resulting in the child's father having to take a day off work each week to bring the child to therapy. Cllr Mulligan said that this has been ongoing since October, leading to a significant "financial hit" for the family.

On top of this, the child was supposed to start primary school this September but as they had to endure such a long wait for speech and language therapy, the family were told to put it off for another year as the child "wasn't fit to go to school yet."

"This is as a direct result of not receiving supports over the last number of years. These interventions, we know they're vital for the development of children and if children don't receive them there is a risk of regressing. This is a prime example that shows that," Cllr Mulligan told the council,

Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald supported the motion, reiterating that "all of these delays can really affect the development of a child."

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley also backed Cllr Mulligan, adding that she knows many people who have been forced to go private due to the lack of services available in the county.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme