Dr. Yvonne Lynch:

I thank Senator Clonan for that. I appreciate his comments about the value of therapies and the impact the lack of therapies is having. What he has told us reflects what we are seeing across the country, having heard from many different families.

We could look at the model and say we need to change it. There is a lot to be said about providing services close to the home, in the geographic location of a family, and looking at their needs. The biggest issue is that there is not enough therapy. No matter what model we look at, ever if we could look at international models, we do not have enough therapy for the people who need it. It is a question of quantity, getting people access to services and taking them off waiting lists. I can hear the frustration, but we need to address the resourcing piece before we look at the model.

I cannot answer the questions on legal responsibility. However, I want to address the question of a doctor leading the team. In the context of communication and language, we need to take a broader approach. We need to bring health and education together and look at how our children are interacting in schools and the supports that are available. The medical piece is just one aspect. I can see the frustration is in that lack of accountability but we need to think about the entire needs of the individual, the person at the centre, and look across that.