‘It's a national disgrace' – teenager to start 50-hour protest at Dáil as child disability assessment waiting list continues to soar
Once the HSE receives an application, there is a legal requirement for the AON to be completed within six months.
The total number of applications overdue for completion at the end of March stood at 15,296 – an 8pc rise on the end of last year.
Last week, the Irish Independent revealed that just 7pc of assessments are being carried out within the legally required timeframe of six months.
In response to a parliamentary question from Labour TD Alan Kelly, the HSE said that demand for AONs continues to outstrip system capacity, despite increases in activity and commissions from private assessors.
The HSE anticipates that by the end of the year there could be as many as 24,796 AONs due for completion.
Cara Darmody (14) is staging a 50-hour protest outside Leinster House from 10am today, against the backlog in the system.
The disability rights campaigner will be supported by what she calls her 'coalition of the willing' made up of a combined opposition of Sinn Féin, Labour, Social Democrats, People Before Profit-Solidarity, Independent Ireland, Aontú and others.
Cara, from Ardfinnan, Co Tipperary, said the Disability Act has been 'broken' for almost a decade.
'It is a national disgrace and an international embarrassment in how we treat children in Ireland with autism or intellectual disabilities. It must end – right here, right now.'
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Cara was initially motivated to pursue her advocacy because her two brothers Neil (12) and John (8) have autism and intellectual disabilities.
She said they were 'both failed dramatically by the State' in relation to the assessments and services they received.
'Every single day in our house is a struggle, and my mam and dad often go days without getting any sleep whatsoever.'
However, she stressed that her advocacy is focused on the national picture rather than solely on her brothers' experiences.
'There are thousands of children rotting on waiting lists and thousands of families who are struggling and too scared to stand up to the Government,' she said.
The combined opposition will bring a motion before the Dáil tonight, coinciding with Cara's demonstration, calling for an emergency fund to clear the backlog and to provide children with the assessments they are entitled to.
The Government will not oppose the motion, but will promise to bring in wholesale changes to the AON system.
Children's Minister, Norma Foley, is expected to say that legislation will be brought forward this year.
Other reforms, including hiring more therapists will be 'progressed as quickly as possible'.
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