Parents of children with Asperger Syndrome, a developmental disorder, are campaigning for support services in the midwest so that the children can enjoy a better life.
Ms Mary Naughton from Limerick established a regional branch of ASPIRE, the Asperger Syndrome Association of Ireland, last August. This provides a helpline for concerned parents, teachers or anyone seeking information on the condition, which is a type of autism.
"We are not prepared to give up on our children," she said.
The condition often goes unrecognised, although research suggests that a case occurs among every 200 to 300 boys and one in 600 girls. Diagnosis is difficult because little is known about it.
There are 48 identified cases in the midwest, although diagnosis has been "patchy", Ms Naughton said. "Because there is no learning disability present, it very often goes unnoticed and these people are considered to be odd. It is a neurological brain disorder."
Typical symptoms include impaired communication and social skills, a tendency to have obsessional interests, an attachment to routine behaviour, and often an inability to hold a conversation. People with the condition will often talk too loudly, or quickly, in a monotone voice. They will suffer from an inability to pick up on social cues.
In a minority of cases, they may go on to lead full lives, with a reputation for being absentminded.
"In general, people who have this disorder are bullied at school, almost without exception. They are rejected, they are isolated, they have no friends and they find life very, very difficult."
Currently, the health board's Regional Diagnostic and Assessment Service for Autism caters only for under-16s. Ms Naughton believes that a respite centre being set up for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder will fail to cater for the differing needs of the varied cases.
She is calling on the board to undertake a full study of the support and service requirements of people with Asperger Syndrome.
The condition was first described by an Austrian physician, Dr Hans Asperger, in 1944. It was not recognised by the World Health Organisation until the early 1990s.
"We want to establish a whole range of supports so that their lives can be improved," said Ms Naughton. "At the moment, those over the age of 16 have nothing, and the condition is there for ever."
The ASPIRE Midwest helpline is 061-342344. The Dublin helpline is 01-2951389.