Special needs pupils denied services

THOUSANDS of primary schoolchildren with special needs are being denied vital treatment because of Government delays in providing psychological assessments.

According to school principals, psychological services are being delivered “like war-time rations,” with parents and the St Vincent de Paul society asked to pay for private assessments.

The Government had committed to raising the number of school psychologists to 200 by the end of 2009, but to date the level is at 138.