‘I DON’T THINK IT’S GOOD ENOUGH’
A FATHER of two boys with special needs has described the prospect of special schools not reopening this week as ‘devastating’.
Paul Whelan’s two sons, Jayden, 12, and Calvin, ten, have autism, and the latter also has an intellectual disability.
Mr Whelan told the Irish Daily Mail that the last time the schools were closed, both of his children were affected ‘quite badly’.
‘It is kind of devastating to see this happening again,’ he said.
‘I just hope that some sort of arrangement can be found, and we can get schools back open, sooner rather than later.’
Mr Whelan said the two boys, who go to school in Rathfarnham, Dublin, had initially been coping well with recent restrictions. However, a week after Christmas they began to regress, with their routine ‘upended’ and their sleeping patterns ‘all over the place’.
‘It is very stressful,’ he said. ‘I get to go to work, it kind of takes me away from the situation for a few hours, but it is exhausting because [when I try] to get some sleep at night, the two boys could be up.’
Mr Whelan said that when they heard schools might be returning, it gave him and his wife Jessica a ‘great sense of hope’ – only for it to be taken away again.
‘It was a blow,’ he said. ‘We’ll just have to carry on and do our best.’
However, he called on the Government to try to sort out the situation, describing it as ‘out of control’. He said: ‘I just don’t think it is good enough in a modern society.
‘You have schools open in most other countries for special needs and for some reason we just can’t seem to get it done here. It’s disappointing.’
He added that his sons’ main outlet was their school, and that its closure was the reason they were experiencing regression.
‘Other kids might be able to cope, they might be able to interact with their friends... We haven’t really got that option,’ he said.
Mr Whelan described the situation as ‘very frustrating and stressful’, adding that, as schools remain closed, it falls on himself and Jessica to plan ahead.
He expressed his concern over the system, saying: ‘It’s very hard to come up with any solutions when you have very little help.’