Special needs backlog - Action must be taken

IT is generally accepted that the earlier children with special needs get diagnosis and treatment the better – the longer these are lacking, the greater the reversal.

That makes it all the more worrying that over 23,000 under 18-year-olds are on a waiting list for speech and language therapy and initial assessments, with almost 4,000 waiting between 12 months and two years.

The backlog has now reached such a level that even with new speech and language graduates coming on line it will take a long time to clear.