David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise with Minister two cases of two autistic boys from Waterford, one is six years of age and one is five years of age. Tiernan Power Murphy is a six-year-old boy from Waterford who urgently needs dental surgery. Tiernan is autistic, has been experiencing severe pain and needs three teeth removed. Given Tiernan's specific needs, the procedure must be carried out under general anaesthetic which, as the Minister knows, is not unusual for autistic children. Tiernan's parents have been told that the waiting list is approximately ten years. The family's only alternative is to find private treatment, which could cost them €2,500. This is unacceptable for any family not least a family with an autistic child. The family are already facing significant stress and they are being asked to fork out thousands of euro for a health service that should be available from the HSE or leave their little boy in pain for months if not years.

This situation highlights just one of the many challenges that families of children with autism face when it comes to securing timely basic urgent healthcare. I am appealing to the Minister; I wrote directly to the head of the HSE and the Minister for Health for Tiernan's case to be prioritised. More than that, a proper solution needs to be put in place for the children so they can get access to timely care without upfront costs.

Today I received an email from the parent of a child called Jodie who will turn five in September. He was diagnosed with autism a few months ago. His mother submitted applications to every school in the Tramore, Waterford city and Kilmeaden area - ten schools in total. They received their final rejection letter last week.

Jodie's mother Becky said:

To say that I am heartbroken would be an understatement. This should be a joyous time for our family as we prepare for Jodie's transition into junior infants. Instead, we are devasted and heartbroken that our son has no place for September, which is his constitutional right. This situation is taking a significant emotional toll on me in particular, and the entire family.

Jodie is thriving due to the support his parents have provided, with little help, they say, from the State. They are paying privately for his therapies. This places a considerable financial strain on the family. Like many others, they have not even had initial contact from Jodie's children's disability network team for speech and language or occupational therapy. Becky says that she is “at a loss as to what steps to take next”. She says Jodie is a lovely and happy child attending a mainstream class but an SNA is not a viable option. His autism report strongly recommends a special class. There are numerous reports of children regressing if they are not placed in the appropriate setting. As Members know, we moved a motion on this issue last week which the Government rejected.

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