Ms Catriona Devlin:

I will pick up on what Conor has said with regard to our experience with the schools. In fairness, everybody was very willing to help, but I think there is a lack of knowledge and that goes back to where training will need to be brought in. Some of the problems Conor was experiencing related to feeling that his friends were looking at him differently. However, one's perception of oneself following an ABI is very different. We were very nervous about him moving schools because we thought he was, as he said, jumping from the frying pan into the fire. That was typical of parents. He wanted to be who he was and who he is. He is an amazing young guy. He has put in a lot of work himself. He did not want the accident to determine who he was.

He played rugby. I listened to Senator Crown. In rugby there is a lot of work being done with concussion, injuries and all that. Obviously that was something Conor was strongly advised not to play. At 14 a boy has a perception of being a rugby player and being part of the team was very different. I underestimated how strongly Conor felt about it. Everything on this journey has been about time. From the time he got the accident "time" was a word I hated because I just wanted to know. As a nurse, I knew how important it was to get the services. I felt a window of opportunity to put the work in. Conor's needs might be very different from somebody else who sustained a head injury. However, I know Conor's needs were specifically in the area of psychology and that was something we could not even avail of privately.

We were asked about the different adult groups. I contacted any organisation in the directory that related to brain, including ABI, Headway and BRÍ. Conor was in such a bad place that I was making these phone calls at night when he was asleep. I think I contacted every Deputy in the country to see if they could get me help. As a nurse, that is not something I recommend, but I was desperate to get my son the help he needed. As a nurse, I thought the children in this country were well looked after and I was very shocked to find out the reality of the situation.