The children's charity, Sensational Kids, has begun providing vital speech and language therapy to children in Munster who have additional needs, such as autism, dyspraxia and Down syndrome.

One in four children in Ireland has a special educational need such as autism and Down syndrome, however these young people can be left waiting for up to two years to access early intervention services via the public health system.

Sensational Kids was founded in 2008 by Karen Leigh, who had experienced firsthand long waiting lists and a lack of affordable and accessible occupational therapy services for her own children.

Since then, the charity has worked with over 4,700 children. It provides subsidised therapy sessions (€75 per hour) and aims to see children within three weeks.

It has now begun providing vital speech and language therapy to children in Munster with additional needs. This service comes in advance of the opening of the charity's new 10,000ft2 facility in Clonakilty Cork, which is due to open this coming summer.

The state-of-the-art facility is being fitted out thanks to a donation of €45,000 from the Dormant Accounts Fund. It will provide a full range of services, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, play therapy and psychological services.

In the meantime, a team of highly experienced therapists are currently providing speech and language therapy from Clonakilty GAA Club, Aghamillia, Clonakilty.

Appointments can be made by calling 045 520900. To kick start this initiative, a free drop-in-clinic will be held on Wednesdays from 10am - 12noon. Any parent who has a question or a concern about their child's speech and language development can call in and get free advice from one of the therapists.

Senior speech and language therapist with Sensational Kids, Elaine Baldwin, said that the charity is delighted to be able to offer this service to families in Munster.

"There are so many children left for long periods on waiting lists for public assessment and therapy services. Early intervention is key for children with speech and language difficulties.

"Parents often demonstrate concern regarding their child's communication development, sometimes unnecessarily and other times with good reason. Our free drop-in-clinic on Wednesdays will hopefully offer much needed peace of mind and specialist advice to many parents," she explained.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the charity and according to its founder, Ms Leigh, ‘regrettably, our services are more vital now than ever'.

"However, we are delighted that the Dormant Accounts Fund has enabled us to expand and meet the demand for our services in Munster. Our team in Clonakilty, led by Elaine Baldwin, is looking forward to making a real difference to the lives of children in the region," she said.

For more information on Sensational Kids, click here