200 autistic teens in limbo over school places

With only weeks to go before the next school term starts, the mother of a severely autistic teenager is still waiting to find out if her daughter will be deprived of the education and support services she needs.

Around 200 autistic teens have been left in limbo and don’t know if the services they are entitled to in order to educate their children will be there for them in September.

Despite making her daughter’s plight public four weeks ago, Eilish Barrett still does not know what will happen in just a few weeks’ time.

Without an education programme guaranteed, 18-year-old Antonia Barrett will also lose her psychological, psychiatric, respite and home support services.

Due to cutbacks and Antonia’s severe condition, she has been refused a place at two of Cork’s mental disability services facilities. She is now waiting to see if she can get a place at the Brothers of Charity, the service she first made contact with at four years of age.

“Antonia, along with these 199 other children, is entitled to these supports until she is 21 years of age,” Ms Barrett said.

“She has graduated from school now and the State should provide these three years of adult education and support for Antonia. We always knew it would be then we would have to go begging with our caps. But we are begging the Government, the HSE and Cork’s Brothers of Charity now. Antonia needs these supports, she is entitled to some quality of life.”

The Brothers of Charity emailed Ms Barrett yesterday and told her they are compiling a comprehensive report to see if Antonia’s needs can be met at the centre. They will have a reply for her in the second week of August.

“Antonia has been under the Brothers of Charity care for 10 years,” Ms Barrett said.

“It should not take this long to compile a report on her behalf. It seems everyone is putting her on the long finger.

“I never wanted to bring Antonia’s face into the media. It is the last thing a mother wants to do. But it seems like nobody cares about these children.

“I never thought when I had Antonia in 1993 that I would be crying out for something as basic as a day service for her in 20 years’ time.

“If I cannot get Antonia into an adult day service I may have to send her back to school, but Antonia is like every other kid and she is too old for school. I couldn’t send her back at the age of 19.”