An integrated approach to special needs education, involving parents, teachers, and the wider community is needed to provide speech and occupational therapists to schools.
This is the view of Green senator Niall Ó Brolcháin, who believes such an integrated approach could provide valuable opportunities for unemployed speech, language, and occupational therapists.
Sen Ó Brolcháin said it is “not acceptable” that qualified therapists are on the dole “when there is a vital need for these services”.
He said programmes need to be considered “whereby we can allow therapists who wish to help children to do so”. He said this would ensure that it is not just those who can afford treatment who get early intervention.
“If early intervention is ensured and the problems are diagnosed at an early stage, it will help us to save a great deal of money in the long run,” he said. “We have got to move in this direction. It is not a party political issue. This issue is a measure of how we should judge ourselves as a society.”
