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There are claims some children with a disability in south-west Western Australia are being neglected because they have not been able to access professional care for up to seven months.

The Disability Services Commission transferred responsibility for the region's occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech therapy services to the South-West Area Health Service earlier this month.

The health service has since found it difficult to secure professionals to treat 110 priority patients.

Dalyellup resident Bjorn Chorley says he has employed a private speech therapist for his autistic daughter because public services ran out in November.

He says other parents cannot afford private treatment.

"Their children haven't had any therapy, direct therapy for five, six, seven months," he said.

"As parents of these children it is up to us to lobby and try and get more attention for our plight.

"A lot of these children, especially the younger children, need very intensive one-to-one therapy because they just can't speak."

The South-West Area Health Service says it is sympathetic to the parents' concerns but it is suffering from a worldwide shortage of therapists.

It says it has employed four therapists and is seeking to secure up to three more.