Sarah Hogan's eight-year-old son Scott, who turns eight this month, is non-verbal, requires 24-hour care and attends a special needs school.
A Suncroft mother says families of children with complex needs are being forced into financial and bureaucratic dead-ends, leaving essential therapeutic equipment completely out of reach.
Sarah Hogan's eight-year-old son Scott, who turns eight this month, is non-verbal, requires 24-hour care and attends a special needs school.
She was forced to pay more than €1,000 for a private assessment because the public system could not provide one.
Despite this, she said the Children’s Disability Network Team told her she doesn’t qualify for support because she works in social care.
Ms Hogan has estimated that she will be paying around €5,000 a year for private speech and language and occupational therapy - and is still on a waiting list for additional private appointments.
Ms Hogan said what she needs now is a sensory room - which she calls “vital medical equipment, not a luxury” - but Irish suppliers are quoting €5,000 to €10,000 for a basic setup.
Even a single bubble tube costs more than €500.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that essential equipment for a child's disability would be priced out of reach for a parent who is not a multi-millionaire. The truth is, parents on Carer’s Allowance and Domiciliary Care Allowance simply cannot afford these items," she said.
She said parents on Carer’s Allowance or Domiciliary Care Allowance are locked out of the equipment their children depend on.
Ms Hogan has also come up against another barrier: she cannot apply for a housing adaptation grant without an occupational therapist report - a report she said the CDNT hasn’t provided, leaving her unable to access any funding at all.
A private assessment will cost her another €300.
She said families are being told this equipment is crucial for their children’s development, yet it is "impossible" to access.
Ms Hogan has contacted several local representatives.
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