ABSTRACT
The earliest record of speech and language disorders in Ireland dates back to the seventh and eighth centuries. Children with developmental language disorder were not seen publically outside of Dublin until 1972 when the first full-time clinics in the rest of Ireland were established. Irish is officially recognised as the first language of Ireland, although English is the dominant language used in most daily interactions. Based on responses to the Cooperation in Science and Technology IS1406 survey of practitioners, therapists work across the age span of children using a mixture of direct and indirect approaches in some school-based but mostly clinical settings. The International Classification of Functioning has also provided a holistic dimension to assessment with a focus both on the child’s activities and participation as well as barriers and enablers to communication in the child’s environment.
