Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have been contacted by the parents of a two-and-a-half-year-old boy who has been on the waiting list for an assessment for autism for 12 months. They have been told he will have to wait a further six to eight months for this. This child is practically non-verbal. He needs speech and language therapy immediately but he cannot access it until he is assessed. The parents have been told that some staff are still redeployed to contact tracing, which is adding to the delay. Another parent was in contact. Her son is six years old. He attends the local school with an attached autism spectrum disorder unit. He was receiving services from Enable Ireland until he turned six. Then he had to return to the HSE list. He has been told that he will be waiting for services for five years. These families cannot afford to pay for these services privately and they should not have to contemplate doing so. The Minister of State with responsibility for disability services, Deputy Rabbitte, has indicated that she will ensure no one has to wait longer than six months for an assessment. I welcome that, but the first family will have been waiting 18 to 20 months before they get the assessment. Moreover, assessments need to be followed up by immediate access to whatever therapies are required.

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