More than 700 children under 12 years of age are currently waiting for their initial assessment for speech and language intervention services in County Galway.
Fianna Fáil Galway City West councillor, John Connolly, has raised concern over the figures, saying: “A delay in the assessment process could be already impeding the impact of therapeutic intervention.”
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, speech and language therapists were redeployed to help with contract tracing. However this has resulted in increasing delays for children in accessing therapy with a further cohort of children for whom no provision for therapeutic intervention has yet been made.
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Fianna Fáil Galway City West councillor, John Connolly.
“These children are on an assessment waitlist and that can be a particularly worrying time for parents as they seek insight into the nature and severity of their child’s needs,” said Cllr Connolly. “As with all types of therapy, the earlier that assessment, diagnosis, and therapeutic intervention can be made, the better the outcome for children”
