Leslie’s family: ‘The only thing holding her back is her speech’

WHEN Leslie McCabe comes home from school in the evening, she normally throws herself on her bed listening to music.

Leslie, like most teenagers, loves music. It’s her way of relaxing and also escaping. She sings along to lyrics but while most people can’t help but get the lyrics wrong, Lesley doesn’t stand a chance.

The youngest of four children, the 15-year-old from Jobstown in Tallaght has serious speech and language problems. And throughout her lifetime, she has only had six weeks of speech therapy — and that was a group session.