Madam, - Your edition of December 23rd highlighted again the continuing serious deficiencies in our early intervention services for children with mental disabilities.
Yet another child has spent Christmas - and could well spend the rest of his life - in a mental institution, perhaps heavily sedated on anti-psychotic medication, when he might have had a good chance of decent life had he received competent therapeutic intervention years ago.
On December 16th your newspaper reported the dehumanising and miserable conditions at Kilcornan Centre for mentally disabled adults in Clarinbridge, Co Galway.
Unless something big changes soon, the institutional conveyor belt that continues to send young, mentally disabled children on their way to a life of social isolation of the kind suffered by the residents at Kilcornan will make a mockery of the laudable sentiments expressed by supporters of the Special Olympics movement. It will also make a mockery of those public servants who struggle daily within the system to change it for the better. - Yours etc.,
COLIN POWER, Dublin 18.