My son a victim of specialist greed

PHILIP GREEN (Letters, February 24) is absolutely correct about the exorbitant fees charged by professionals.

My son, aged nine, had been attending speech therapy sessions run by social services.

However, last November we were informed he no longer required this service even though the therapist involved demonstrated he was well below average in most of his responses. I fear their action had more to do with cutbacks than anything else.

Recently I was approached by one of his teachers who advised me to contact another speech and language therapy centre.

Here are their fees:

Consultation, initial assessment: €200

Initial assessment report: €100

Review assessment, oral report: €100

Review assessment, written: €60.

Therapy sessions per hour: €100

Half hour: €60.

School liaison per hour: €100.

Home programme: €100.

Other written reports/progress: €60

Clients are expected to settle fees at the end of each session. Needless to say, as a pensioner, I was obliged to abandon the idea.

As Mr Green stated in his letter, many others are not prepared to be ripped off by these so-called professionals – or should we not call them the “Dick Turpins of the 21st century”?

My son lost his special needs assistant last September and in November lost his speech therapist as a result of cubacks announced by Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe.

Now due to greedy professionals, whom I cannot afford to pay, he must struggle on in an overcrowded classroom as his school is not allowed to take on an extra teacher. What sort of a future has my son got in this country? Those privileged professionals and the Government should hang their heads in shame for hitting the most vulnerable.

Leo Armstrong

Anne Street

Prosperous

Naas

Co Kildare