Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will find out who is the best person for the Dyspraxia Association of Ireland to meet because it might not be me. Perhaps the new HSE director of social care might be the best person. I will investigate that issue further.

As part of the negotiations on the HSE's service plan, we are seeking a particular sum of money for services for those under 18 years. We must start to deliver services before there is a diagnosis. Children with dyspraxia often have co-ordination difficulties and their clumsiness has been recognised. Speech therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy services must be provided alongside the supports available in schools. While a diagnosis is important at some stage, particularly if someone needs more specialised interventions, service delivery should not be conditional on a diagnosis. The Dyspraxia Association of Ireland does an extraordinary job. It has worked in a space that was not occupied by any other service providers and has developed a high level of expertise based on the lived experiences of its members. We must try to co-ordinate the activities of all of the groups providing services and to cut out as much of the duplication of effort as possible. These issues are all being examined.