Charlotte Cahill's daughter is just three years old and is self-harming.
Her daughter Cyra has traits of autism and her behaviour is a reflection of her struggles with the world around her.
Charlotte says she has pleaded with the HSE for help, and even provided them with video recordings of three-year-old Cyra self-injuring.
As she watches these videos, Charlotte talks about the challenges facing Cyra.
"It just breaks my heart watching that, because there's literally blood all over her, like she busted her nose," says Charlotte.
"She had a busted blood vessel in her eyeball because she's punching herself so hard; we ended up having to bring her to Our Ladies Children's Hospital. She had a concussion as well as the busted blood vessel."
Cyra was assessed last year by an occupational therapist and a speech and language therapist. But there was no psychologist involved.
This process has been found to be flawed by the courts.
A High Court judge found last year that a new HSE approach to assessments was in breach of the 2005 Disability Act.
The ruling in this judicial review case meant the assessment Cyra received was invalid. It affected 10,000 children in total.
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Charlotte has been told by the HSE that Cyra is now back on a waiting list for a full assessment of needs.
This would help identify what is causing her to self-harm and what interventions are required to support Cyra.
With Charlotte’s permission, we discussed the case with Adjunct Prof Davida Hartman, who said: "That is a child in significant distress who needs help and her mother is having to deal with that and having to support that without having a full understanding.
"Because without an assessment and a proper understanding of the child’s needs it is impossible for her mother to help her properly."
The HSE is legally obliged to provide an Assessment of Needs within six months of an application.
But the HSE confirmed to RTÉ Investigates that the average waiting time is 16 months.
However, Charlotte says she has been told by the HSE that Cyra will not get her Assessment of Needs completed until 2024 – more than three years after she went on the waiting list.
Charlotte, a mother-of-two from Tallaght, Co Dublin, brings Cyra to therapy supports from private providers located as far apart as Swords and Co Meath.
"As much as we're trying to give her all the therapies, it’s just not enough," she says.
"She needs a team approach. And at the moment, we can't get that."
A full assessment could prove invaluable for Cyra.
Adj Prof Hartman says: "An assessment of needs is like a crossroads - it’s the start of a parent’s understanding of their child’s neurology, understanding how to help them, understanding the right kind of therapy to get them." according to.
"That child probably has a lot of sensory needs that need a lot of support. But without any kind of understanding, it’s very difficult for anything to improve for that parent."
Malgorzata Gbiorczyk is one of a number of parents who have had to go through a court process to force the HSE to meet its legal obligations to provide an assessment.
Her son Kacper has traits of autism.
"He doesn’t always understand what is happening around him," Malgorzata said.
"Once he started school, he started facing more behavioural issues. We weren't aware that he would be so stressed."
Her legal case was a limited success. "We have had a two-year battle to get services – occupational therapy, speech and language therapy."
In spite of his parent’s High Court challenge, Kacper has yet to be seen by a psychologist from the HSE.
He is among almost 12,000 children waiting more than a year to see a HSE psychologist, it was confirmed to RTÉ Investigates under Freedom of Information.
Noah Caroll, 8, is displaying traits of ADHD. His parents are trying to get him help with the challenges he is facing
"He is struggling at the moment and he is hurting," says his mum Tracy, who is seeking to get an Assessment of Need for Noah. "We are trying to do what is best, but as parents there is only so much we can do, we need the clinicians involved."
Noah can be impulsive and hyperactive, which can sometimes land him into trouble at school. "What's wrong with me? This is a question that he asks constantly," says Tracy. "I can't help myself. So it's that impulsive side to him."
Noah says: "I find it hard to concentrate and i find it hard to work without talking, fidgeting with stuff, or playing with stuff."
In a statement to RTÉ Investigates, the HSE apologised to the families: "It is not acceptable to have to wait an extended time for either an assessment of your child’s needs or therapy that would help your child and your family.
"We are sorry to those families who have had a poor experience in trying to access services."
Charlotte, Tracy and Malgorzata feature on an RTÉ Investigates documentary tonight about Ireland's Unregulated Psychologists.
It looks at families who are driven into the private sector because HSE waiting lists are so long.
However, psychology services in Ireland are completely unregulated, which means that anyone can call themselves a psychologist – regardless of whether they have relevant qualifications or not.
Watch RTÉ Investigates: Ireland's Unregulated Psychologists, tonight on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player.
