Child autism supports and therapy
Deputy Ó Murchú described the strain on a family caring for a severely autistic child and the lack of occupational therapy support. After procedural interruptions, Minister Donnelly said waiting lists were too long, recruitment was the key problem, and the Government and HSE were working on solutions.
I was sent a letter by Claire, a grandmother and constituent. Her daughter has a beautiful five-year-old autistic son who attends a unit in Kilsaran school. After begging schools, it was the only one his mother could get a place in even though they live in Dundalk. Thankfully, the unit is brilliant. Mason is over the average height for his age and strong. In addition, he is a flight risk and constantly trying to run away. He is volatile and, in a temper, will hurt his mother and brother on occasion. She is not looking for respite, but she struggles with caring for him and does her best as a single mother. She is now a prisoner in her own home, as is her other son, a ten-year-old. She lives in a two-bedroom terraced house with a small garden. It is heartbreaking. As a grandmother, Claire can only do a certain amount. She is not able to bring him out or, even if she is with her daughter, Mason will still run away. He has no sense of danger.
The child psychologist recommended that he attend occupational therapy service, but there is a two-year waiting list in Louth. Even private services have been closed to waiting lists due to demand.
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The answer she got was that occupational therapy waiting lists-----
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The occupational therapy waiting lists are closed. We do not have the services required. The HSE has large gaps-----
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-----but we need short-, medium- and long-term plans that deliver for children like Mason and his mother, Aisling.
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The occupational therapy waiting lists are too long in many parts of the country. Other waiting lists in children's disability services in Progressing Disability Services are far too long. There is a new draft strategy. My focus and that of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is on recruitment. Models of care are being examined. The most serious issue we have is recruitment. Many hundreds of posts have been sanctioned and funded by the Government, but the HSE has struggled to recruit into them for too long. The Minister of State and I are engaging with the Department and the HSE on finding new ways to fill those posts urgently to meet the pressing needs the Deputy outlined.