Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Lowry for allowing me to say a few words on this issue. The parents of children with special needs are continually under pressure. They speak constantly of having to fight for everything they get.

We attended a meeting in Scoil Aonghusa in Cashel on Monday night. It is a fine school that is offering an exceptional service to its students and support to families. It caters for 85 students. There was an effort to operate on the basis of a multidisciplinary team of teachers providing services including psychology, physiotherapy, and speech and language services, but unfortunately those resources are simply not adequate. The school simply does not have enough physiotherapy, psychology or speech and language hours. Additional hours need to be made available for the school if the children with special needs are to be provided with a proper service.

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