Micheál Carrigy (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

I want to read something out, which is why I am looking at my phone. This message from two weeks ago is from a child doing rapid prompting method, RPM, therapy who had never communicated.:

One day I went to see a shark with school. It was fun swimming in the shark tank. The shark nibbled my toes. I screamed and the shark swam away. The shark threw the nine students in the tank. The shark nibbled the students' toes. Yes, we started something special.

That is from a child who had never communicated. This message came after the child had done RPM, which was funded privately through fund raising. I would like some of the officials to attend our meeting next week where we will have a parent and a person who is trained in RPM in to chat about how it works. It does work.

I ask the Minister of State to outline his thoughts on speech and language and occupational therapy assistant positions.

Five ETBs were involved a year ago. Are there plans to roll out more of those?

While the Minister of State would not be aware of this, I spoke with the previous Minister and I met one of the departmental officials who is present, Mr. Doody, with regard to a support app for AIM teachers, teachers involved in ECCE, SNAs and teachers in schools to allow them to be in a position to support kids. I have worked with a number of speech and language therapists here and in England. We held a trial in a number of schools from January up to the summer. I will have a report shortly on how that worked. One of the schools involved was my school, which I asked to take part in it. It was extremely beneficial to all the teachers to have a support app devised by qualified speech and language therapists who have 30 or 40 years' experience. There are ways and means. Deputy Toole mentioned alternatives to help children in the classroom. The technology is there. I ask that it be looked at because it could simply be given to every teacher, SNA, and person involved with AIM and ECCE who works with kids every day of the week.

I concur with the comments about alternative therapies. My young lad has been going to equine therapy for many years. It is something he looks forward to. It is the best thing we have ever done. It gives him an out and brings the words out of him as well.