Don’t leave them behind has learned that more than 4000 ” assessment of need ” applications for children with disabilities are long overdue with a staggering 3,250 at least 3 months overdue .
An ” Assessment of need “ is vital and must be delivered early as it allows the child to be diagnosed and discover what maybe going on with the child and what needs to be done to start to address the issues .
The family can then apply for various early interventions, however the waiting lists for basic therapy interventions can be as long as 3/4 years .
The HSE is required by Law under the Disability Act to have an assessment carried out within 6 months of notification however figures show that this target is not met for over 4000 children .
Across the country these assessments are behind by over 3 months including 812 children in North Dublin region along with 650 children in Cork and Kerry .
Don’t Leave them behind has campaigned for many years to ensure that early intervention take place and is vital and that each individual must have a ” lifespan Service Plan ‘ which is results oriented and with a strong emphasis on the acquisition of skills and change behaviour .
From the age of 1 if your child appears to be showing any signs of problems with communications and is not achieving his/her early development millstones and assessment and diagnosis should be sought with a full evaluation leading to referral for relevant therapy interventions including speech & Language . behavioural .educational and sensory .
This delay on assessment will caused significant developmental delay for these children on the waiting lists and the HSE and the New Government must put an action plan in place to clear the assessment backlog and the intervention backlog so that therapy is delivered as required .