The Taoiseach has called for reforms of the Disability Act amid a rising number of children who are overdue an assessment of need.
Over 11,000 children with disabilities are overdue an assessment of need after the first half of the year.
It comes as a major protest takes place outside the Dáil later highlighting the plight of families of autistic children.
The Disability Act states that anyone requiring an assessment of need is legally entitled to one within six months of the request being made.
A disability parking spot is seen in November 2013. Image: Paolo Bona / AlamyNew HSE figures, however, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show 11,131 children were overdue an assessment of need by the end of June.
That is up from over 8,900 from the end of 2023.
Some 81% of those children are overdue an assessment of need by more than three months.
The examination identifies a child's health needs and what services are required to meet those needs.
Some 1,841 assessments were completed in the first half of 2024, with just 10% of those completed within the legally required timeline.
'We need legislative change'
Taoiseach Simon Harris told Newstalk he believes changes to the Disability Act are needed.
"There was a court ruling in terms of determining what an assessment if need was and how long somebody needed to have - in terms of a number of hours - to classify as an assessment," he said.
"I think from a legislative point of view that's too rigid, I think there's a rigidity around that.
"When I meet parents they're saying, 'My child does need an assessment but actually they don't need the assessment to take that amount of time - they need a shorter assessment and then access to the therapies'.
"I think we need legislative change there," he added.
The figures come as a protest takes place outside the Dáil led by 14-year-old Cara Darmody, whose two younger brothers have autism.
She says successive Governments have let down children with autism and intellectual disabilities and that recent funding of €7m to address the backlogs is a ‘drop in the ocean’.
