“We shouldn’t be going through this. It’s supposed to be a constitutional right.”
Tara McAuley Ryan has applied to over 20 schools in Dublin, trying to secure a spot for her five-year-old son, Reign. Most schools have informed her that they are full, while others have stated that he does not meet their admission criteria, reports RTE.
Reign has Autism, ADHD, and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA).
Currently, he attends a mainstream school, as his diagnosis only came in last May—after he had already secured a school place for September, reports RTE.
Tara explains that they had no alternative but to enroll Reign in a mainstream school, as they were unaware at the time that he would need a special school or an ASD (autism spectrum disorder) class.
She says that nearly a year into school, they have faced “nothing but problems,” reports RTE.
According to Tara, Reign experiences severe anxiety while in school.
“You can’t really put demands on him. If he’s not into it he won’t do it, he’ll go off the handle if he’s put under pressure,” reports RTE.
Her five-year-old has been suspended multiple times.
Tara says she receives calls from the school almost every day, and Reign has now been placed on a reduced schedule, attending only two hours each morning.
“In a nice way, they’ve tried to tell us they don’t have the resources to keep him for the full day,” reports RTE.
Reign is in a separate room with only a teacher and an SNA, a setup that Tara believes is not beneficial for him.
She feels immense pressure to remove Reign from the mainstream school and place him in an environment better suited to his needs, such as a special school or a school with a dedicated special class. However, securing such a placement is extremely difficult, reports RTE.
On February 28, Tara and dozens of other parents staged an overnight protest outside the Department of Education, demanding more appropriate school places for children with special educational needs.
She has also joined forces with other parents in Dublin’s north inner city to urge politicians to secure school places for their children, reports RTE.
One parent shared their experience of applying to 49 schools, only to be rejected by 48.
The group has committed to continuing their efforts to push the Government for change, with support from local Opposition TDs.
Difficulties in obtaining support for children with autism are not new, but the issue has gained renewed attention recently, especially after reports revealed that autism rates have tripled over the past decade, reports RTE.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education stated: “It is important to note that, while there has been a significant rise in the number of children and young people diagnosed as autistic, not all of these children or young people require specialist intervention. The vast majority of children with special educational needs, including autistic children and young people, are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided,” reports RTE.
In recent years, the number of special classes has increased, but demand continues to exceed availability.
Interestingly, while the Department of Education previously based its planning on an autism prevalence rate of 1.5%, it now considers the more accurate figure to be 5%—or one in 20 children, reports RTE.
In February, Sinn Féin introduced a private members’ motion urging the Government to immediately increase the availability of special school places, special classes, and special education teaching hours across the country. The motion also emphasized that 126 children with additional needs were left without a school place last September.
In early March, Labour and the Social Democrats brought up the issue of children with additional needs who still do not have a school placement for next year during Leaders’ Questions, reports RTE.
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