Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the lack of speech and language therapy and occupational therapy for children, both in the early intervention system and when children leave that system at the age of five and are catered for by the school age team. In 2018 a joint initiative of the Department of Education and Skills and the HSE introduced specialised therapeutic services in schools. Some 19 speech and language therapists and 12 occupational therapists were recruited in a pilot programme, with each therapist supporting a cluster of schools.The pilot was set up to test how early intervention and specialised supports can be integrated into the education system rather than being delivered in an outside forum. This system would allow therapists to support a greater number of pupils in the school environment, where there is often a large concentration of needs. In 2017, there were 741 children waiting more than one year for speech and language therapy. All the research shows that language development is critical to every aspect of children's lives and is one of the best predictions of educational achievement.

I ask the Leader to request an update from the Minister for Education and Skills outlining how the scheme will be implemented. The programme for Government, Our Shared Future, commits to a full implementation of the access and inclusion model, which helps children with additional needs to access early intervention education and care, and to expand and enhance the speech and language and occupational therapy pilot scheme in schools, given its success. I fully believe that it is the way forward for children to receive those supports in a familiar environment rather than a clinical setting.