Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

We knew all of that. We know there are other forms of special needs and, of course, there has been great progress. We all salute that but it is the minimum that we would look for and it is of no comfort whatsoever to somebody who became a parent in the past five years and whose child has been diagnosed with autism. In some cases, the specialists cannot even agree, as the Minister herself said in her speech. Experts differ and children linger, trying to find a way into the path of knowledge that will give them the prospect of some sort of normal education and some chance of living an independent life. That is what this motion has asked of the Minister and she has thrown it back in our faces. She has hurt a section of this community who simply want access to one-to-one ABA teaching for their children so they can learn to learn.

See this speech in context