Kilkenny Down Syndrome families highlight urgent need for therapy services at meeting

Families from the Down Syndrome Kilkenny Branch gathered with local TDs and councillors in the Rivercourt Hotel on Sunday to shine a spotlight on the necessity for approved Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) services.

The meeting combined heartfelt accounts from parents with a strong call for political action. Parents described the challenges they face; years without public SLT, confusing service pathways, group sessions replacing one-to-one therapy and the financial burden of having to seek private support.

Several representatives expressed shock that some children in Kilkenny have never received an SLT appointment through the HSE.

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Branch members outlined key reforms needed to fix the system, including adequate staffing, transparent criteria for access, guaranteed individual therapy, and ring-fenced funding for local SLT provision.

They also shared their ambition to establish a dedicated SLT hub in Kilkenny to provide specialist communication and feeding support for people with Down Syndrome.

Politicians in attendance pledged to raise the issue at the national level. Families say that the meeting was a crucial step forward, but emphasised that action, not words, is what children urgently need.

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