Madam, - Professionals on the radio and TV speak of the enormous benefits of early intervention for children with speech and language delay. The HSE has taken up this mantra of early intervention, mouthing platitudes and reassurances to anxious families.
Our four-year-old daughter's response to treatment is proof that early intervention works. Two years of weekly speech and language therapy - and a lot of hard work - have transformed her from an anxious, uncommunicative little girl with behavioural difficulties to a child who can express her basic needs and interact with her peers. She still has a long way to go to reach her potential, but her behavioural difficulties have disappeared. This is a miracle we do not take for granted.
I would love to say that this "positive outcome" is thanks to the efficient, caring and proactive treatment she has received from the HSE, but I can't. She has been assessed twice in the past two years and is awaiting a place in a language unit, but to date has received no therapy. She has finally been offered a public appointment to examine her behavioural difficulties. Fortunately she no longer needs it.
Our circumstances allowed us to access the dedicated services of private therapists. We are told by the HSE that there is a shortage of speech and language therapists. In reality, therapists are available but the HSE seems unwilling to employ them. So, for those of us who can pay, there is access and appropriate therapy, and for those who can't, there are inevitable and interminable waiting lists. - Yours, etc,