Kildare mother Vivienne Sullivan says it has been devastating to see her son Isaac (14), who has autism and ADHD, “not thrive as he should” because his needs have gone unmet for so long.
The Leixlip boy was not provided with an assessment of need, to which he was legally entitled, for almost a decade. Though his parents applied when he started primary school, he was not seen until he entered second level.
On Wednesday, the story of his “rights being denied” will be heard by a European Parliament committee.
An assessment of need, conducted by the Health Service Executive (HSE), is a statutory process under the 2005 Disability Act, used to identify the health and education needs of disabled people.
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Legally the HSE must begin the assessment within three months of receipt of a valid application and complete it within a further three months. In reality, however, people, the vast majority of them children, are waiting much longer and in some cases many years. The number of “overdue” assessments stands at 21,782.
As Isaac waited for his assessment he went through primary school in a mainstream class.
“It was horrific,” his mother says. “He held on to my leg every morning, not wanting to go in. He was in fourth class before he would walk into the class without me. I have asked him about it since and he told me throughout primary school he sat there most of the time not knowing what was going on.
“He finally had an assessment in March 2025 and is in an autism class now, but he still has no access to many services he needs. It’s not acceptable.”
Sullivan says if her son had got his assessment when he was legally entitled to it, an autism class would have been recommended earlier.
“That would have been an environment where he could have thrived. I think Isaac would now be more emotionally stable, more confident,” she says.
“He is not confident in himself. Making friends is very hard for him. It is devastating when you have a child that you know has not reached their potential, not thrived as he should, because his needs were not met for such a long time.”
Though Sullivan cannot travel to the European Parliament’s petition’s committee in Brussels on Wednesday, three other mothers with similar experiences will tell Isaac’s story along with their own children’s.
They will argue their children’s rights have being breached under several articles of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, covering human dignity, education, non-discrimination, the rights of the child and the right to integration for disabled people.
Rebecca O’Riordain will tell the committee how her now seven-year-old daughter is still awaiting assessment, having applied when she was two.
“We are living in a time of unprecedented financial surplus,” she said when discussing the neglect.
Any EU-based person or organisation may bring a petition to the committee in which they believe the EU’s parliament should examine how European legislation or treaties are being implemented.
The mothers hope the committee will write to the Irish Government.
The committee, according to its website, seeks to “provide a non-judicial remedy to legitimate concerns on issues related to the EU fields of activity”.
Dublin MEP Aodhán Ó Riordain, who is bringing the parents to the committee, said it was “significant” they had been granted a hearing.
“The Irish Government are failing these children and it’s not good enough. If the Government won’t act, I want the European Parliament and institutions to shame Ireland into action.”
A HSE spokeswoman said the Government was committed to reviewing the Disability Act.
Several steps were being taken to improve access to timely assessments of needs, she said, including increasing the number of assessment officers, particularly in areas with longer waiting lists.
“We will continue to procure capacity from approved private providers to provide clinical assessments ... and the roll-out of initiatives to address staff vacancy rates,” she said.
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