Ms Cara Steinmetz:

I do not have access to data but can speak anecdotally. In the journey we have all been on with our children, we are very dependent on the parents to do many therapies at home, which requires, in many cases, people giving up their job to stay at home with a child. That is the loss of an income in the family. We are forced to pay for private therapies because we do not get access to the necessary therapies through the HSE. Without access to funds, people do not get the therapies or what they need for their child.

There is also a huge social aspect. As a parent, when your child is involved in the community, you are educating other parents and the people around you. You are at the school gate talking to people, helping them understand your child better. That takes social skills as a parent. There is a diverse array of challenges for people from minority backgrounds, who speak a different language and do not have the ability to stay at home with their child. The list is endless. It is a huge challenge.

On the question Ms Moran answered and on which she spoke openly before, when a child does not get access to occupational therapy in the early stage of their lives, there are day-to-day functions they struggle with, which impacts confidence and the ability to integrate into society. Even if you are out and want to put your coat on, these basic abilities need to be trained. All of our kids have low muscle tone. It adds to confidence as they learn to do what everybody around them can do. Those therapies are crucial for that and, therefore, that impacts integration and socialisation.