My autistic son can’t talk – but they still want to send him to normal school
Child refused admission to local specialist unit due to lack of places
THE mother of an autistic boy has said she is ‘horrified’ at the suggestion that her son should attend a mainstream primary school, despite the fact that, due to his condition, he has to wear nappies, struggles to talk and cannot sit still for long periods.
Sharon Dunne was told that her son Kyle, five, should go to a normal primary school because there are no places available in autistic units in her area.
‘I have tried everything to get him a place in an autism unit locally, but there are none to be had,’ said Sharon, from Ballymun, in north Co. Dublin.
‘I have shouted, screamed, sobbed and begged for a place for Kyle, and then to have that suggestion put to me just completely shocked me,’ she added.
‘The Special Educational Needs Organiser suggested it was the best option, as he could be provided with a Special Needs Teacher. I couldn’t believe they were serious when they said it.
‘Kyle is still in nappies, he cannot talk and he can’t sit still for any length of time – and this person wanted me to send him to a normal school.
‘How would that be fair on either him or the school? It would be an impossible situation, even if I could find a primary school that would accept him.
‘At the moment he is in play school and it looks like the only option is to leave him there for another year, but he’d be six by that stage and mixing with much younger kids, which will not help his development.
‘It would also mean that if he gets a place in an autistic unit next year, he’d be starting into the primary system at the same time as his sister who is two years younger. Surely that cannot be right?’
Kyle was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, but even then his mother had to struggle to get answers from the HSE.
‘We had to wait seven months for the letter with the results of his tests. Apparently the girl who signs off on those was on maternity leave and was not replaced, and it’s been an uphill battle to get anything for him since then.
‘The Government is not allowing the HSE take in temporary staff, and that is creating all sorts of problems.
‘The bottom line here is my son is being denied an education, and that’s all down to Enda Kenny and his buddies, they are the ones who don’t care about Kyle and many others like him. They’ll pay lip service and quote statistics, but the reality is they are letting him and many others down badly.’
A spokesman for the Department of Education said: ‘The Department of Education and Skills cannot comment on individual cases.
‘Enrolling a child in school is a matter for parents in the first instance. Where parents of children with special educational needs, including autism, require assistance in sourcing a school placement, the NCSE [National Council for Special Education] will assist the parents in identifying placements.
‘In each case it is usual that the child’s professional assessment will indicate the type of school placement which the child is recommended to access.
‘The Department provides for placements in mainstream classes in mainstream schools, special classes in mainstream schools and in special schools.
‘To support such placements the Department provides for additional teaching support in mainstream schools and for lower pupil-toteacher ratios in special classes and special schools.
‘In addition the Department provides that children who have care needs in addition to their educational needs can have access to the support of Special Needs Assistants. This is provided for children in mainstream or in special classes or special schools.
‘The National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of Special Needs Organisers, for identifying and providing the supports necessary to ensure children can access their education in line with the Department’s policies. Management and oversight of the SENOs is a matter for the NCSE.’
‘I’ve sobbed and begged for a place for Kyle’ ‘My son is being denied an education’