'Can't wait for adults any longer' - Tipp teenager kicks off autism rights protest at Dáil

Ardfinnan's Cara Darmody kicked off her campaign outside Leinster House this morning to advocate form better autism services and assessments nationwide.

The 13-year-old brought her chair and a bag of snacks to Leinster House, and began campaigning outside the Taoiseach's Department at 8am.

Cara promised to keep up the protest for "as long as necessary" on RTÉ's Oliver Callan show this morning.

"I'll be campaigning here until half 11," Cara told Callan.

"I am going to be protesting outside here tomorrow until 4pm, and then I am going to be protesting here every week until the next general election. I'm going to keep going until I get what I want. 

Cara has been a staunch advocate for improved services for years, and says that she wants the State to pay for private assessments for children waiting more than three months to be assessed by the HSE. She also wants the provision of services after an assessment is conducted to be speeded up.

In a petition to the Oireachtas Committee on Public Petitions last year, she also called for more State funding for autistic services and for a full review of the means-tested weekly carers' allowance.

Speaking further on her protest this morning, Cara added that she was protesting for her brothers, who are both non-verbal and autistic, and the "thousands of kids on the waiting list".

"We met Tánaiste Micheál Martin this morning, and I told him that they weren't doing enough, that they simply needed to do more," Cara said.

"There are thousands of other children in this country who are just like my brothers, and there are thousands rotting on a HSE waiting list, it is a national disgrace. I came up to Leinster House 30 times last year, and met the two previous Taoisigh. They were really nice and they promised me change, but they didn't deliver the change, so I'm coming back up here until the next general election to campaign for change.

"The government is breaking the Assessment of Needs law, which states that a child must be assessed within six months of their application. The government and the HSE have not complied with this in nearly every case in Ireland, and that is why I'm coming up here. It's a national disgrace."

In a statement earlier this morning, Taoiseach Simon Harris had revealed that he would be meeting with Cara Darmody to discuss her campaign. Harris had revealed in a previous interview that he had entered politics for his brother Adam Harris, who grew up on the Autism spectrum.

"I'm holding him to his word," Cara said when asked about the meeting.

"I'm going to tell him that he needs to do more and make changes. We can't wait for the adults in the room any longer. Change is not coming, so I'm going to campaign every week."