An 11-year-old girl, who met with the Tánaiste and the Minister for Special Education to discuss a lack of services for children with autism, has said that she feels listened to.
Cara Darmody travelled from Tipperary this morning to talk about the impact a lack of services is having on her two brothers who have autism.
Her father, Mark Darmody, said that he believed that there was an acceptance in Government that significant improvements had to be made.
"We met approximately 45 TDs and Senators today, everyone had the same message that this is not acceptable", he said outside Leinster House.
The family has seen the impact that a lack of services has had on their two boys, Neil and John, over the past few years.
In a submission paper to Minister Josepha Madigan and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, the Darmody family called for "transparency" from the Health Service Executive in relation to the provision of services for children with autism and other disabilities.
The family is also highlighting waiting times for services in the private sector, which they say will leave children with no "timely access whatsoever".
"Neil's nine and John's five. We can see such a difference already because Neil got barely any services, but John got a bit more. So even those little bit of services make a massive difference," Cara said.
As part of an effort to raise funds for her primary school and that of her two brothers, Cara is sitting the Junior Certificate Ordinary Level Maths paper.
She has raised around €17,000 so far and received a donation from Mr Varadkar this afternoon.
Their visit comes as Government has come under significant criticism over plans to create temporary special education centres to cater for children with autism and other intellectual disabilities who cannot secure a school place.
Earlier this month, Cara spoke about her brothers on the Ray D'Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1.
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Accessing autism services
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Darmody said it is difficult to access services for children with autism, including in the private sector, and that waiting lists can be up to three years with the Health Service Executive.
"The waiting lists are unacceptable... what needs to be discussed today is not words but action."
He said they will be making proposals to the minister today and added that there are many things that need to be reviewed including the Special Education Review Committee (SERC).
He said the core problems are a "basic lack of services" that a family cannot access easily, such as speech therapy.
He also referred to the "window of opportunity" which "closes very quickly" for children with special needs.
HSE 'very challenged'
HSE chief operations officer Anne O'Connor has told the Public Accounts Committee that her staff are "very challenged" in assessing children with special needs, and so are "not providing sufficient intervention".
She said the focus on assessment impedes the ability to deliver interventions, when interventions are what parents need.
"In some areas, particularly for children with autism diagnosis, the availability of speech and language therapy and psychology is a huge issue", she said, adding that the HSE is "challenged" in recruiting the appropriate staff.
"Funding is not the issue", she said, but the availability of staff.
HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid said the HSE is "looking at extra recruitment" to ensure disability services for children are in place but acknowledged that "it is a challenge".
He told Fine Gael's Jennifer Carroll MacNeill that the HSE is working closely with the minister on this.
"We are looking overseas for many professions", he told Committee Chair Brian Stanley, adding that this is an "interim" measure.
