It was sheer frustration that led Joanne Lawless from Wicklow, the parent of a child with Down syndrome, to pen a letter to the ministers for health, children and education and local TDs earlier this year.
Her second daughter Amanda (7), began attending mainstream school last year after being assessed as being capable of doing well there, but, as a result, she lost the group speech and language therapy which she had enjoyed in the special preschool setting.
Within months, the progress Amanda had made in her speech at preschool was affected: "She had a mild intellectual disability when she left preschool; nine months later we had her psychologically assessed again and she was assessed as having a moderate disability.
'Significant stammer'
"She also developed a significant stammer. I have no idea how to help her without the input of a speech therapist," her mother said.
When she applied for speech and language therapy for her daughter, she was allocated just three one-hour sessions per year.
However, to date, Amanda has yet to receive any therapy.
Two of her three allocated hours have been used up: one for a needs assessment, another discussing her case with HSE and school representatives.
What frustrated Ms Lawless even more is that when her four-year-old son was diagnosed with a minor speech delay he received eight one-hour speech sessions per week.
This was the final straw which led to her writing her letter: “Would it be so absurd of me to feel that my daughter is being discriminated against because she has an intellectual disability?” she asked.