Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Minister on the concerns which many people harbour in respect of the new model. It is appropriate that the implementation of the latter has been delayed. I am of the view that it should be the subject of a strict examination in the context of how it will work in practice in order to ensure that it will not place certain schools at a disadvantage or lead to a deterioration in the level of support which schools and the children in question currently receive. I am particularly concerned with regard to a specific category of children, namely, those with Down's syndrome who have mild, as opposed more severe, intellectual disabilities.

Brendan O'Connor recently wrote eloquently in the Sunday Independentabout what parents like him experience when they bring their children for assessments. Despite their best intentions, they know that if their children are diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability they will not get the support they need, whereas if the assessment results in the diagnosis of a moderate disability, they will receive 4.25 hours of assistance per week. That is a cruel situation for parents because they face the prospect that their children will not have the hours they need to reach their full potential. I urge the Minister to give this matter her upmost attention. I welcome that she met representatives from Down's syndrome Ireland recently but it is important that from this September onwards, children with a mild intellectual disability have the hours they need to develop to their full potential.

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