That's according to a new ESRI report.
The midlands were among eight counties nationwide that saw consistently higher rates of children born with disabilities between the years 2011 and 2016, according to the ESRI.
The number of children born with disabilities was above the national average in Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Limerick and Tipperary.
Co-Author of the report Professor Seamus McGuiness says more research is needed to find out why rates vary from county-to-county:
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