Parents were told to lock autistic baby in room after diagnosis

Resolute parents who were once told to lock their baby boy in a room and forget about him after he was diagnosed with autism, are now determined to establish specific services for their adult son.

Seamus and Sharon Connolly say there are currently no services dedicated solely for adults with autism in Co Meath and are desperately seeking other parents in the county who have adult children with autism to help drive their campaign.

Barry has just turned 28 and presently spends the day with his mum at their home near the village of Ballivor.

“Barry was our third child and when he wasn’t speaking at two years of age, he was sent for a range of tests,” she said.

“His speech therapist found a booklet on autism and it snowballed after that.

“That was more than 25 years ago when no one really knew about autism. We were devastated. We met with a psychologist who told us that our baby would never amount to anything.

“We were told bluntly to lock our two-year-old son in a room and forget about him. He’d never be toilet trained, he’d never talk, he’d never progress. We cried so much that day.”

However, Seamus and Sharon did not abandon their son and received huge support from the HSE in his education.

But, they say, it seemed to all end when their son reached 18 years of age.

“Barry had great teachers over the years in schools but when he hit 18, that’s where the problem really started,” said Sharon. “It seemed like he just fell off the side of a cliff. There were no services solely for children with autism.

“He did go to a day service for a number of years but he was there with loads of other people with different disabilities and it just wasn’t for him. He needs specific services aimed at autism. We were sending emails begging the State to help us but we just weren’t being heard.

“Barry is home now all the time and has regressed. I’m looking at him slowly dying in front of me. It’s heartbreaking and we have no-one to turn to, despite all my emails and phone calls.”

The couple has started a South Meath Autism Group on Facebook and are seeking other parents who have adult children with autism to come forward in order to bolster their campaign.

“There are other parents out there with adult children with autism and the more parents on board we have, the stronger our case becomes,” said Sharon.

“We have looked at other dedicated services in other counties and can get HSE backing but we need more parents to come forward.

“We have met with loads of parents whose children are still in school and have asked them where will they send their children when they hit 18. Most aren’t looking that far ahead — but they should because as we know, time goes by far too quickly.”

More information can be found on the South Meath Autism Group Facebook page.