03 May 2010

Irish Examiner

23,000 on waiting list for speech therapy

By Jennifer Hough

Monday, May 03, 2010

MORE than 23,000 under 18-year-olds are on a waiting list for speech and language therapy, with almost 4,000 of those waiting for between 12 months and two years.

Latest estimates from the health services show of all the people currently awaiting assessment and treatment for speech and language, about 77% are under 18.

The most recent figures show more than 13,000 young people are on a waiting list for speech and language therapy alone, with a further 10,178 waiting for an initial assessment to find out what their needs are.

Of those on a waiting list, more than 2,600 of them have been waiting for more than one year, and more than 5,800 have been waiting for between four months and one year.

Head of Inclusion Ireland, Deirdre Carroll, said it was a long-standing problem children did not have access to speech and language therapy.

Ms Carroll said there was a "huge backlog" in the system, and even with new speech and language graduates coming on stream it would take a long time to clear.

Early intervention is key when treating young people who need speech and language therapy.

Maeve Yore, founder of parent support group, SNAP, said parents in the group were on permanent waiting lists.

She said one parent in the group had been told her nine-year-old Down Syndrome son had "missed his window of opportunity" to be able to speak.

Ms Yore, from Co Louth, also claimed the HSE was operating a policy of taking children off waiting lists if it was found out they had paid for private treatment.

"Parents of children in a special school fundraised to pay for a private speech and language therapist to come in a few hours a week," she said.

"The HSE found out and took every child in the school of its waiting list."

Ms Carroll said it was morally and ethically wrong to tell any parent that it was too late for their child to avail of services.

According to the HSE there has been an increase of 56% in the number of speech and language therapists working in the HSE since 2004.

Inclusion Ireland held its AGM over the weekend and addressed politicians from all parties on where they stand in relation to disability policy.

One question raised related to issues such as the Knocknamann development at St Ita’s Portrane for people with intellectual disabilities.

10 bungalows remain uninhabited due to staffing issues while people continue to live in dilapidated conditions in the hospital itself.

Equality, Disability and Mental Health Minister John Moloney said he could give no guarantees when staff would be appointed.

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