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Column The pros and cons of labelling a child with a development delay

Having your child diagnosed with a developmental or learning disability is a life-changing decision for parents. Carol Coffey discusses some things concerned parents should consider ahead of an assessment.

MUCH HAS BEEN written about the pros and cons of having your child diagnosed as having special needs but the dilemma facing parents considering such a life-changing decision cannot be overemphasised.

For many parents, the grief associated with having a child with special needs occurs the moment their child is born – such as is the case when their child is born with an obvious physical disability or a development disability such as Down syndrome. Indeed, the use of ultrasound scans and amniocentesis has resulted in many parents knowing of their child’s disability even before birth.

However, for some parents, the signs of development delay only become obvious when their child fails to reach developmental milestones such as crawling, understanding and using language, or developing the motor skills needed to manipulate their environment. When this occurs, some parents will feel an overwhelming desire to know exactly what is “wrong” with their child and will enter into the lengthy and frequently stressful assessment process. Some parents, however, will “play down” their child’s underdevelopment either through fear of what the outcome of an assessment would be or, as is often the case, because they hope that their child is simply developing at a slower rate than his or her peers.

So, what are the positive and negative associated with having your child assessed and when is a diagnosis of a disability appropriate?

Profound impact on quality of life

The positive aspects of having your child diagnosed with a special educational need is that such a diagnosis will enable clinicians to decide on specific early interventions which have been proven to have a profound impact on the quality of life for children at risk and their families. Early intervention therapies include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy or behavioural therapy.

If your child is already in school and his or her difficulty is related to poor educational attainment, the results of an assessment should result in enabling the school to develop education plans which are individualised to meet the child’s learning needs. However, an assessment of the child’s difficulties should only occur when the school have tried in-school strategies – such as providing the child with a differentiated curriculum and learning support. Only when these measures have failed to result in adequate progress should an assessment be considered.

Often though the difficulties relate to a child’s behaviour, and the parent must decide if the extent and frequency of the behaviour warrants investigation by a child psychiatrist or clinical psychologist. Such children are often diagnosed with conditions such as ADHD which usually presents before the age of six and should occur in two or more of the child’s life situations (home, school, clubs, etc).

The potential drawbacks of early diagnosis

Unfortunately, a diagnosis of ADHD is often being made when the child has been observed in only one environment such as school and this is usually the environment in which the behaviour is occurring. Indeed, many parents report that their child behaves in a socially acceptable manner at home and that the root of the behavioural issues in the school environment relate more to poor academic attainment and the resultant lack of self esteem that often follows in the form of “acting out”, particularly in younger children who do not have the emotional maturity to communicate their feelings.

Also of concern is the emerging culture where having ADHD is somewhat fashionable and can be used by ineffective or overwhelmed parents to excuse their child’s behaviour. Often too, parents provide their young child with too much information on their diagnosis which can lead to children feeling resigned to behaving in the way that others view as unacceptable. Thankfully, this occurs in only a small number of cases. While it is often useful to provide a child with information on their diagnosis, children should be taught that while they find some aspects of daily life difficult, that this does not mean that they cannot learn the skills needed to minimise the difficulties associated with their specific disability.

A child’s background can affect learning performance

Children from Travelling backgrounds are more likely to be diagnosed with mild learning disabilities or clinically significant behavioural problems and this is possibly due to poor school attendance or differing cultural norms relating to acceptable behaviour.

Non-national children, or children born in Ireland to non-English-speaking parents, often present with poor academic progress in the early school years and may be incorrectly diagnosed with learning or specific learning disabilities. This can be due to the challenge children face living in bilingual environments.

Another concern facing parents of children undergoing educational psychological assessments is the possibility that their child will under-perform on the day of their assessment due to external factors such as not getting adequate sleep or appropriate nutrition. Psychologists suggest that the scores should always be taken with caution and will reflect the child’s ability on that given day.

Diagnosis can bring a sense of relief

Some children, particularly adolescents diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, report feeling relieved that there is a reason why they feel the way they do. Receiving a label in these circumstances can actually result in a child’s self-esteem improving as they learn that they are not “odd” and that there are others out there who feel and act in a similar way to them.

In an ideal world, clinicians and schools could provide additional support to children following a “needs based” assessment which would identify the particular difficulties children are facing, and provide the specific supports to remediate those difficulties without resorting to labelling children. However, appears that in Ireland, where the “medical model” is still in effect, we are a long way off what is now seen internationally as best practice.

What to do if you have concerns

In the interim, each parent or guardian should decide what is in their child’s best interests by examining the advantages and disadvantages of their child being diagnosed with a special educational need. Where do you go for such an assessment?

If your child is under five and you have concerns about his or her development, talk to your community nurse who will direct you to the appropriate services. Alternatively, you may wish to discuss your concerns with your GP. Parents can also refer their child for an assessment of need through the Health Service Executive. Further information on this can be obtained by logging onto hse.ie where you can find contact information for your local assessment of need officer.

If your child is already attending school, it is likely that his or her class teacher has alerted you to issues relating to your child’s academic attainment, or perhaps behavioural or socialisation issues that may or not be occurring in the home. In this situation, ask the principal if your child could be referred to the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) for an assessment. The result of this assessment may require onward referral to other professional organisations but this would occur only with the consent of the parent.

Carol Coffey is a writer, living in County Wicklow. She has a degree in education and a Masters degree in behavioural disturbance. Carol is a teacher by profession and continues to work in the area of special education.  Carol has used her extensive background in disabilities to bring the world of special needs to the wider population through her writing. Her new book The Incredible Life Of Jonathan Doe is just out now and published by Poolbeg.

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    Mute Niamh Leahy
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:26 PM

    Maybe if asylum seekers told the truth , didn’t rip up identity records and passports and had one appeal then go if not sucessful. Respect goes both ways…..

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    Mute John Xavier
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:36 PM

    It is physically impossible to board an aircraft in 2014 without proper documentation – ie a Passport and a visa for your destination, the airlines can be fined thousands for breaking these rules. Anyone who arrives and claims to have no documents should be imprisoned until their can be verified.

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    Mute John Xavier
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:36 PM

    *identity

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    Mute David Hughes
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    Oct 13th 2014, 10:35 PM

    No it’s not, you should try some research, if your or your family’s lives are in danger, you can buy documents to safety

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    Mute David Hughes
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    Oct 13th 2014, 10:41 PM

    Where do you think they should go to, some are fleeing from failed states, some are fleeing from sexually abuse. If you have ever heard their stories, you might change your mind

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    Mute Danger Moose
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    Oct 13th 2014, 10:58 PM

    You’re a schmuck David.

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    Mute John Xavier
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    Oct 13th 2014, 11:55 PM

    Oh yeah, maybe you’re right David – so the scenario is they’re fleeing persecution and their lives are in imminent danger so the first thing they do is hop onto skyscanner – “Hmmmm, whats the weather like in Ireland? We can fly there via London… ” I can picture the travel agents window in Lagos “Looking to flee persecution? Fly to Ireland for only 100000 Naira, all inclusive”
    Surely anyone in genuine fear of their life would flee to the first safe place, gotta laugh at the left wing loonies.

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    Mute John Xavier
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:07 AM

    @Pointius. The sad reality is that we’ve learned nothing from the mistakes we’ve made in the past. The left wing Army championed Pamela Izebheaki as the Poster figure for their campaign ” Let them stay” , she even got honoured in a civic ceremony in Sligo before an undercover investigation proved her whole story as a sham. She like most Nigerians who come here, came from very wealthy lives in Nigeria, she lived quite wealthy in a large house with servants (I wonder would any of those servants have the opportunity to flee ‘persecution’ )
    She ended up costing the Irish Taxpayer close to 1million euro in legal fees. The Irish people voted overwhelmingly in favour in the 2004 referendum to shut down the loophole economic migrants were using to plant themselves in our country, it passed with 80% in favour which would tell you that 80% of Irish people are opposed to our country been abused by unchecked Immigration but why then have every successive government since then ignored this? Its never spoken about in the Dail?
    What mandate did Alan shatter have to grant those who achieved residency under this loophole citizenship even though the passport questioned the authenticity of their documents? Another sham Politician, should be tried for treason!

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    Mute Caoimhin O Hailpin
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:17 AM

    Pontius you have taught me something important…
    I saw a big long piece from you and red thumbed it as I usually disagree with nearly all of what you comment here…..
    I was wrong for pre-judging as I agree with the above when I read it

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    Mute John Xavier
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:19 AM

    @Pontius. Yes you are true, children are innocent in all of this. But these people have been very sucessful in using children as pawns in order to achieve residency and we cannot allow that to continue, I agree that repatriation should happen before the children are settled, but also the sad reality is that they do not belong here. There are a billion poor children around the world but unfortunately we cannot all offer them a place in our education system, we have to find a balance between charity and self preservation of our scare resources and the needs of our own people.

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    Mute John Xavier
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:31 AM

    @Pontius. In my view their application should be processed before they even set foot on this island, similar to what the Australians do, its important we separate the needy from the charlatans

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    Mute Paddy Taxpayer
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    Oct 14th 2014, 4:02 AM

    According to the UN; they should go to the first safe country and claim asylum there.

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    Mute Seth Cheffetz
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    Oct 14th 2014, 6:19 AM

    @Niamh you hit the nail on the head. What about the Irish taxpayers being treated fairly. We are the ones footing the bill for all of this. Should asylum seekers be put up in a 5 star hotel while they lie their way through the system with appeal after appeal?

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    Mute Kieran
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    Oct 14th 2014, 6:50 AM

    David, not alone is the wool being pulled over your eyes, there are herds of sheep

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    Mute Loop De Loop
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    Oct 14th 2014, 10:06 AM

    David, your naivety is astonishing.

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    Mute John R
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    Oct 14th 2014, 10:19 AM

    Pontius, not withstanding endemic fraud in the asylum process. you are correct when it comes to long-stay children in Ireland. Sending them back would be cruel and in many cases would seriously endanger their health. We are going to have to grasp this nettle.

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    Mute Shane Donnelly
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    Dec 6th 2014, 2:52 AM

    What do you mean by “Left wing Loonie”?
    Are you saying that there are no “Right Wing Loonies” ?

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    Mute Abdul Ahmed
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:42 PM

    As a 2nd generation immigrant, it angers me to see these so-called ‘asylum seekers’ lying about their credentials to get into this country so they can live off the dole provided by taxpayers.When my father came to this country, he knew he had to work his a** off to make a decent living and so he did.Our government is too nice to people that will take advantage of the broken system and use it for their own gains.Instead of adhering to political correctness, why don’t we do something that will actually benefit us?

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    Mute Joan Murphy
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    Oct 13th 2014, 10:22 PM

    Abdul, well said !

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    Mute Gillian Kennedy
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    Oct 13th 2014, 10:33 PM

    They don’t get the dole and they’re not allowed to work.

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    Mute Barney r
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:04 AM

    Whats wrong with Gillians comment? it is fact, aslyum seekers are not entitled to work or claim dole.

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    Mute Caoimhin O Hailpin
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:12 AM

    agh Gillian you are not supposed to tell the truth in regard to asylum seekers….do you not know that they are billions of them, that they caused the recession

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    Mute John Xavier
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:27 AM

    @Barney. Whats wrong is it is inaccurate. They might not receive much cash but they receive bed, board, food, clothes, education, medical needs, and allowances for hairstyling etc. Do you think all that is paid for out of €19 a week??

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    Mute Andrea Rock Massey
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    Oct 14th 2014, 8:33 AM

    Gillian should have said that they don’t receive Jobs Seekers Allowance and that they are not allowed to work (but a lot of them actually do). That would have been accurate and probably wouldn’t have received so many red thumbs. “The dole” is just a commonly used term to describe social welfare benefits and asylum seekers receive plenty of SW benefits. They just don’t receive it all in cash. What about medical costs, food, heating, education costs (for children) etc. I don’t like Direct Provision, it’s yet another money making scam funded by the tax payer but there is no viable alternative. The only humane thing to do is speed up the application process. DP would be fine if it wasn’t being abused by the people availing of it. Accept the decision the authorities make and you’ll be out of DP in no time.

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    Mute John R
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    Oct 14th 2014, 10:38 AM

    You’re right Gillian, asylum seekers do not get the dole. But I suspect Abdul was referring to those granted leave to remain and refugee status who are disproportionately on the dole. Most people do not use the terms “asylum seeker” and “refugee” correctly. A refugee as you clearly know is someone whose application for asylum has been successful. A large cohort of these are on the dole or receiving social protection. Many of them have also received citizenship despite being unable to support themselves. Once again, our failure as a society to have a honest conversation about matter such as citizenship is typical and then we clap ourselves on the back for our “tolerance” when in reality we are in denial. This will come back to haunt us. For the record I have little problem with inward and outward migration. Ireland is a much more tolerant country than heretofore. Asylum seekers are but a small portion of the inward migration so we need to maintain a degree of perspective and be pragmatic. However, allowing people to become citizens who cannot speak our language, who have little prospect of ever supporting themselves or who have convictions recorded against them needs to be very carefully considered and debated. And we most also bear in mind the “right” to family reunification on the part of refugees and those made Irish citizens. There is a complete absence of reasoned public debate on this issue and a reluctance. This is a serious mistake.

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    Mute Chris Treacy
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:28 PM

    Maybe if they stayed at home and got a job they be better off ….why should our own be left on the streets in cardboard boxes when someone from thousands of miles away get a nice little house with it all decked out for them…..and I am speaking from first hand experience …..

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    Mute David Conroy
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:37 PM

    Is this Committee made up of genuine people giving their time to help others ?
    OR another cozy quango that will sugar coat everything and string it out for what they can milk it for ? We will see..

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    Mute John Clancy
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    Oct 13th 2014, 11:18 PM

    another official ireland w@#kfest,retired judge,labour luvvie,246 immigration industry quangos and the lawyers that buzz around them like flies on s@#t,trade union beardie and the obligatory civil service clockwatcher,killing time waiting to collect his pension!you couldnt make it up.

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    Mute gkrell
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:31 AM

    I notice there is nobody on the committee from alliance of tax-payers who don’t like getting scammed by third-world economic migrants who want to hop aboard the gravy train driven by an assortment of rights quangos and very wealthy immigration lawyers.

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    Mute John Xavier
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:53 AM

    Now that you mention it , who’s funding all these quangos. I know Atlantic Philanthropies are funding ICI, what do they seek to gain by supporting more relaxed immigration laws in Ireland?

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    Mute John R
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    Oct 14th 2014, 10:20 AM

    David Conroy, it’s a once off committee set up to report on one issue. It’s not a quango and never will be.

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    Mute John R
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    Oct 14th 2014, 10:27 AM

    John Clancy, this committee was set up by politicians and not civil servants. The only Trade Union rep is Dan Murphy who is regarded as a serious heavyweight an who is very pragmatic. The civil service clock killers are probably the few who may try to bring some sanity to the proceedings as they deal with asylum reality every day. The consequences of liberalising the direct provision system will be considerable. Firstly, if asylum seekers are put on full social protection then this will immediately double the cost. Secondly, if they are allowed to work this will compete with other low paid legal migrants (e.g. from other EU countries) and Irish citizens. Thirdly, if they are allowed full access to third level education this carries a considerable bill for the taxpayer in an already underfunded and under-resourced sector in key areas. Finally, it will act as an asylum magnet as asylum seekers do shop around the EU. Already this year asylum applications are rising in Ireland for the first time in years. We need to get real, reform and streamline the existing application system and stop letting interest groups dictate our policies as a nation.

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    Mute Tom Red
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:32 PM

    A 1st class airplane ticket out of the country……
    Not happy then go somewhere else..
    Everyone in this country has their own problems. ….

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    Mute Plantation Watch
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    Oct 13th 2014, 10:04 PM

    He appointed a bunch of leftoids to the group, Enda better overrule what these nutjobs decide.

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    Mute Caoimhin O Hailpin
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:14 AM

    Hi Plantation watch what is your view on legal immigration ?
    Also are you Nathalie Reeves / Eire Calling ?

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    Mute John Xavier
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:33 PM

    Here’s an improvement suggestion – Why not make the system more effective and affordable for the Irish taxpayer. More effective at ensuring genuine refugees can get asylum and more becoming more efficient at deporting failed asylum seekers, deportation flights have gone down since this Fine Gael/Labour government took power.
    Why are we as a bankrupt state continuing to poor billions into maintains these economic migrants playing refugees indefinitely and then at the behest of their numerous Quangos have the audacity to call the Irish people their oppressors and comparing their conditions to those of the institutions of the past.
    Its time Ireland took a strong stance on this issue, the left have created these mess and its time for a new strategy to deal with it effectively once and for all. This will be a massive issue for the next election

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    Mute Kieran
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    Oct 14th 2014, 6:56 AM

    It is almost impossible for us to have “genuine refugees” as there are no direct flights to Ireland from the countries these people come from. The system needs to be completely over hauled and sorted out!

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    Mute Trevor Beacom
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:39 PM

    Will there be anyone representing the irish people and their thoughts on failed asylum seekers on this panel

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    Mute Mick Madden
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:27 PM

    Send em back

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    Mute George O'Connor
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    Oct 13th 2014, 10:55 PM

    Sieg Heil eh mick?

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    Mute Caoimhin O Hailpin
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:26 AM

    says someone whose name rhymes with “dick”

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    Mute Gerard Hannon
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:48 PM

    Retired judges have nearly more work than those still sitting, no wonder there is such a big rush out of the courts !!!

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    Mute Loop De Loop
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    Oct 13th 2014, 11:25 PM

    Why not concentrate on how to treat the Irish a bit better before we worry about anyone else ?

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    Mute Gillian Kennedy
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    Oct 13th 2014, 10:32 PM

    The best thing they could do is actually make decisions on asylum applications within a reasonable time period – 3 to 6 months instead of several years.

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    Mute Andrea Rock Massey
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    Oct 13th 2014, 11:03 PM

    They do! The problem is the appeals process. When an appeal is denied, another is lodged in one of the children’s names, then in another etc etc.

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    Mute Ciaran Burke
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    Oct 14th 2014, 1:23 AM

    One case all family members if unsuccessful, one appeal for the family, if unsuccessful all deported to flight of origin. I also think that if we do accept asylum seekers they should be made sign a contract that they will spend 4 years here, and after that it will be reviewed on a yearly basis. If the country of origins circumstances improve they will be sent back. Also it should be made clear in this contract that if they have children with other asylum seekers or a non Irish citizen while asylum seekers here the children wont be recognized citizens of the state. I am all for immigration but only if a visa has been applied for and the correct channels have been perused via an embassy and citizenship should be obtainable after contributing to the tax base for at least 5/6 years. That is my take on it.

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    Mute sid
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    Oct 14th 2014, 1:47 AM

    Jeepers, ok and what makes you think that Ireland’s such a great place to be anyway. I cant believe how conservative and right wing people can be. I’ve an idea, how about young white men in their twentys aren’t allowed a wage over 200 Euro a week and if they want more are to be punished by having to sweep the streets for free. They are only allowed to wear knickerbockers and must always address their elders as sir. If you don’t like it you must leave the country and never come back. Now of course I’m right in what I say and everyone else are left wing freeloaders to be shot on sight. O and by the way cead mile failte.

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    Mute Ciaran Burke
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    Oct 14th 2014, 2:01 AM

    Nobody mentioned shooting no need to be over dramatic people have mentioned deportation if cases have been found to be dodgy.If they are genuine refugees from actual war torn areas fine stay as long as you need and if you enter the army reserve or the army for over 5/6 years as a asylum seeker then you become eligible for migrant status or citizenship.

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    Mute sid
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    Oct 14th 2014, 2:11 AM

    I think that the age of consent should be raised to thirty and alcohol should be banned, woman shouldn’t be allowed to vote and anyone that dosent like it can leave the country because what’s needed here is a totally right wing fashist state. A bit like Croatia under the Nazis.

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    Mute sid
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    Oct 14th 2014, 2:19 AM

    Gays are bad. Also lesbians. Contraception should be banned and also rock music. A one party state is best preferably right wing Catholic dominated by gaa members in grey suits and old. Put orphans in houses down the country and if their mothers are out of wedlock send them to Australia and don’t tell them where they are, boycott them and only allow them work in laundrys or as secretary’s, if they get married they have to give up their job and raise kids.

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    Mute sid
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    Oct 14th 2014, 2:29 AM

    Yes I agree with you. Lets give people fleeing persecution a horrible time here. Better still lets make them join the army and learn about more ways to kill people. After all they aren’t like us, are they, they’re different. They don’t belong here. They breed like rabbits. And get everything for free. I heard about a family that got a house and a car for free and don’t ever have to work. I’m sure you’ll agree that we have enough of our own problems without these spongers coming over. If people in trouble think we’re going to help them well then we’ll teach them a real Irish welcome, if you know what I mean.

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    Mute Buckwheat MacMillan
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    Oct 14th 2014, 6:29 AM

    Let em all on Sid, I’m sure though you be quick in changing your tune though if an asylum centre we set up in your leafy ‘burb.

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    Mute sid
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    Oct 14th 2014, 9:54 AM

    Your dead right. Gosh if an asylum centre opened up here in malahide if be shocked. I heard there’s a needle exchange opening up your way along with the asylum centre that’s all ready there. How do you cope.

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    Mute John R
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    Oct 14th 2014, 10:41 AM

    Jasus Sid that’s a great idea. Sid for the Seanad!

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    Mute Ciaran Burke
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    Oct 14th 2014, 7:20 PM

    where did i say a horrible time? I said I have no problem with them if they are genuine asylum seekers, if they are people who want to immigrate fine just go through the correct channels via a embassy. Notice how i didn’t say force into the army i said if you enter the army meaning you have a choice. To be quite blunt no they don’t belong here traditionally when one seeks asylum it is in a neighboring country not a country over 3000 miles away. Who said everything for free? I just think there are Irish people who need to be seen to first that’s all. We do help. We provide aid to them. They get an Irish welcome we take them in if they are genuine if you know what i mean.

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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Oct 13th 2014, 11:22 PM

    One appeal only no multiple appeals under different family names etc,This would speed up the process.
    Also it is nearly impossible to board an international flight without a passport/ID.

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    Mute Éire Calling
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    Oct 13th 2014, 11:33 PM

    The same judge Bryan McMahon who officiates the citizenship giveaways at the population replacement factory?

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    Mute Caoimhin O Hailpin
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:18 AM

    Eire you mean when legal immigrants are granted legal citizenship ????
    Your type of hatred is akin to Germany of the 1930s

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    Mute Windom Earle
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    Oct 14th 2014, 10:07 AM

    Go live in Gaza they love gays there.

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    Mute Caoimhin O Hailpin
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    Oct 14th 2014, 5:40 PM

    Agh Winston expand on they whoever they are and who are the gays…..Do i take it from your comments that you are not a fan of them gays

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    Mute Bull Mick
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    Oct 14th 2014, 1:45 AM

    The gravy train on platform 6 is about to depart could all retired judges and hanger ons please board this train immediately………before anyone notices.

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    Mute Garrett Mullan
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    Oct 13th 2014, 11:56 PM

    I am not hearing the voice of asylum seekers in this discussion

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    Mute Christine Mc Cann
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    Oct 14th 2014, 8:55 AM

    I think the areas that have been swamped with the passport losers/ got off the plane undocumented, will be wanting the lot to be deported. Live in those areas then u will change ur open borders pc liberal minds.

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    Mute Loop De Loop
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    Oct 14th 2014, 10:02 AM

    That’s very true, the do-gooder idiots that welcome these wasters don’t usually have any experience of living alongside them.

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    Mute sid
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:09 AM

    Your dead right. All these dogooders live up in foxrock.what would that know about foreigners. Try living next to a family of Romanians or Nigerians before they start preaching.

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    Mute f m
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    Oct 14th 2014, 9:50 AM

    Such is the welfare system in Ireland.
    We already spend billions on people who have little use to society, drug addicts, people with hundreds of convictions, the life time unemployed.
    They didn’t even have to get on a plane! Just use their ‘free’ bus pass the 27 from darndale or jobstown.
    The do gooders will always be around to oversee the wasting of tax payers money.

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    Mute declan leonard
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    Oct 14th 2014, 7:36 AM

    Nice boost to the pension

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    Mute Chris Mackey
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    Oct 14th 2014, 7:42 AM

    jobs for the boys

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    Mute Windom Earle
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    Oct 14th 2014, 10:05 AM

    Does he live beside them oh no he lives in D4 drinking his liberal Starbucks latte. The love telling joe public to think.

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    Mute Windom Earle
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    Oct 15th 2014, 1:59 PM

    What to think

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    Mute Dr. Patrick Talbot
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    Oct 14th 2014, 1:39 PM

    There are none so blind as those who refuse to see. How the PC pinkos misuse their God given ‘intelligence’ is beyond me. Blatant dishonesty is to be rewarded. The productive can get creamed by the worthless unproductive. I wonder should I contact Aodhán d Sleeveen as he got elected even though he was not exactly forthcoming with the TRUTH……….Wisha.

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    Mute Caoimhin O Hailpin
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    Oct 14th 2014, 5:41 PM

    agh DR you cant resist having a go at those “pinkos”

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    Mute Irish John
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    Oct 14th 2014, 11:32 AM

    I read this article and sent €250 to these guys http://www.immigrationcontrol.org/. We have to combat Lentinism !

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    Mute Caoimhin O Hailpin
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    Oct 14th 2014, 5:43 PM

    ah gud man sur twill help affray all the lost deposits Dr Talbot has had to pay when he and his cause is continually rejected by the voters

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    Mute Ian Treacy
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    Oct 13th 2014, 11:23 PM

    Nice fleg

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    Mute Caoimhin O Hailpin
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    Oct 14th 2014, 12:24 AM

    Another example here in this tread of DR Talbot and Eire calling furthering their own agenda which is no immigration at least no non-white non-christain immigration…by using legitimate questions in regard to the processing of asylum claims

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    Mute George O'Connor
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    Oct 13th 2014, 10:56 PM

    Sieg Heil, eh Mick?

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    Mute Danger Moose
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    Oct 13th 2014, 11:19 PM

    George remove your head from your anus before posting. There’s a good lad.

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    Mute Jennifer Omorodion
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    Oct 18th 2014, 10:41 AM

    If y’all are so against asylum seekers why not pack your stuff and go live in DP. With the earning of 19.10 a week and let’s see how much little you can do with with such amount and what not!….Remember most Irish pple are party animals who can not sit in their own houses on daily basis not to mention weekends, Oh and if your a heavy smoker I can see what good 19.10 can do for you. If they keep deporting ppl how would they know the genuine asylum seekers? Most of u are just typing without thinking and complaining have u ever sat down to reason that most if not all asylum seekers that have been granted residency are no way a burden to the country? Have you have reasoned that these pple work their butts of in order to contribute to the wealth and tax of this nation? The more pple u have in a country, the more jobs are being created and that’s how a country grows!!. Together we can make it and make this country a great nation whether black or white as long as we are given chance to prove our worth.

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    Mute George O'Connor
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    Oct 13th 2014, 9:26 PM

    Disgraceful treatment!

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