Opposition is growing against plans to change the way special needs assistants are allocated here.

Last December the Department of Education approved changes which will reform the way 10,000 plus SNA's are allocated from next September.

Under the changes SNAs will be front-loaded to schools and the advantage, according to the Department, is that students will have immediate access to support in their school rather having to wait for a diagnosis from private professionals or the HSE.

However some schools and parents have raised concerns that some children will not now be diagnosed and will not have access to a special needs assistant as a result.

Barry Whyte reports...