Emotional testimonies highlight Down Syndrome SLT failures in Kilkenny, as Taoiseach agrees to meet group

Families form the Down Syndrome Kilkenny Branch gathered with local TDs and councilors in the Rivercourt Hotel recently to shine a spotlight on the urgent need for approved Speech and Language Therapy 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.

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 meeting was crucial step forward but emphasised that action – not words – is what children urgently need. Following the meeting, Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness called on the Taoiseach to urgently address the severe lack of support services.
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“Parents in Kilkenny report long periods without Speech and Language Therapy, (SLT), children transitioning to CDNT often receive no SLT afterwards and many families not receiving any public SLT services, with some paying up to €40,000 out of their own pockets for basic therapeutic supports," he said.

"This is neither fair nor sustainable. These children deserve immediate access to one-to-one speech and language therapy and the full suite of supports they require, free of charge and as a matter of right,” Deputy McGuinness told the Dáil.

He asked the Taoiseach to commit to: Meeting the parent group alongside the Minister of State for Disability, Emer Higgins; and providing a once-off funding package of up to €40,000 to cover the enormous costs families are currently forced to bear.

“There is a crisis here. Parents feel their children have been abandoned by the State. The Government must respond,” he stressed.

In response, the Taoiseach agreed to meet the group and acknowledged the need for a fundamental overhaul in how children access therapy services. He outlined that, for the first time, therapy and education supports will be embedded directly into the school system, beginning with 45 special schools opening early in the new year. Further special schools will be brought into the model from September 2026–27, with expansion into mainstream schools thereafter.

Deputy McGuinness welcomed the Taoiseach’s agreement to meet the parents but stressed that families cannot wait years for reform.