(Ireland) "Thousands of children are waiting years [for ASD assessment'"

April 29, 2025, Beat: 'Government promises were utter codswallop' - Cara Dermody to meet Minister to discuss autism assessment wait times 

Disability rights campaigner, Cara Darmody, will meet Junior Minister for Disabilities Hildegarde Naughton later.

The 14-year-old from Ardfinnan in County Tipperary says the government is continuing to break the assessment of needs law, and is leaving autistic children on waiting lists.

It comes ahead of a 50-hr protest the teenager has planned to stage on May the 20th.

Cara told us promises to date have turned out to be 'codswallop'.

"I'm meeting multiple ministers to campaign for change.

"I'm sick and tired of the government smashing the assessment of needs law, every day of the week, and causing permanent damage to autistic children by leaving them rotting on HSE waiting lists for multiple years.

"All of their [the government's] promises to fix the problem were total and utter codwallop," she said.

Assessments of need are carried out to identify the service needs of children with disabilities.

The assessment should be completed within six months of an application; however, at the moment, thousands of children are waiting for years.