A 12 year old Tipperary girl has left an Oireachtas Committee under no illusion as to what is needed to tackle the many issues facing families with Autistic siblings or children.
Cara Darmody from Ardfinnan along with her father Mark addressed the Committee on Autism this afternoon in Leinster House.
Her two brothers Neil and John are severely autistic and need 24/7 care.
At the end of the meeting – which lasted for over an hour – Committee Chair Senator Micheál Carrigy asked Cara to sum up what she wanted the members to take away from today.
“Parents should not have to pay privately for services they are already entitled to. The second thing is the HSE must be made accountable for its lack of action. That has to change – they have to be made accountable.
“And the main thing is – and it relates to all of them – is a change of attitude. They need to realise, they need to treat this like a house is on fire. It needs to be treated like an emergency, like the house is on fire and they’re not doing that. They change the way they think of things.”
