Family secures school place for autistic son

A CAMPAIGN by a Cork family to secure a secondary school place for their autistic boy had a happy ending as he headed off to school for the first time since last June.

Rory Mulcahy, 12, from Douglas, has Asberger’s syndrome, a severe form of autism, and his parents Norma and Frank had been unable to find a suitable school which would take him since he finished primary education at the beginning of the summer.

However, they finally got him a place in a secondary school for children with mild learning disabilities in the Cork city area.

Rory started with an hour in his new school on Friday last and will be going for two hours each day next week, before moving on to the full school day.

“It’s great,” said Norma Mulcahy yesterday. “We’re hugely relieved but we know it’s going to take time. It’s just the start of a long road.”

She hopes that their story will encourage other parents in similar situations to take heart.

“For people who think there’s nothing out there for them, there is. You just have to dig deep and work on it.”

However, having been at home on his own while other 12-year-olds were starting their secondary education, Rory will need some time to get used to his new regime.

“We have to take baby steps now,” said his mum yesterday. “He was all excited going in and was trying on the uniform last night, but when he got there he was very quiet.”

She described the school as very welcoming and anxious the new arrangement will work.

Rory will eventually be able to take the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert exams at school, in subjects like science, woodwork and home economics among others, as well as going on outings with classmates.

Asberger’s syndrome involves a number of challenging symptoms, including obsessive-compulsive behaviour, mediocre social skills and an overwhelming need for routine.

While waiting for a school place to be confirmed, Rory was given a limited amount of one-to-one tuition hours by the Department of Education.

According to his mother, the lack of social interaction with children his own age since June had led to Rory withdrawing into himself and becoming accustomed to being on his own.