Cork family launch Christmas card campaign for autism class
Charlie, Katie, Leila, Matt and Noah Gould in Ballincollig, Cork. Katie Gould and her son are asking people to sign Christmas cards calling for autism classes in secondary schools. Pictures: Jim Coughlan
People in a Cork town are backing a mother and her son’s Christmas campaign for autism classes in their local secondary schools next year.
Katie and Charlie Gould got almost 100 people to sign their special Christmas cards calling for autism classes in the secondary schools in Ballincollig in Cork.
Ms Gould and Charlie, 13, who has autism, spoke last month about the difficulties they and other families like theirs face securing a suitable second-level place for Charlie, who hopes to start secondary school next September.
They ramped up their efforts to highlight the issue yesterday with the launch of a Christmas card campaign.
They and a number of other parents, alongside children with autism and their siblings, gathered in the local shopping centre, where they asked people to sign their cards, addressed to minister of state for special education and inclusion Josepha Madigan and to officials in the National Council for Special Education.
The greeting is crystal clear — the card reads: “We need autism classes in our schools for September 22”. And they are signed “from the children of Ballincollig”.
Ms Gould said: “All we are asking is for the wider community to join their voice with us and to ask for these autism classes in second level.
“Since we spoke about it in the , I’ve been in contact with a number of other parents who are in the same situation.
“Provision is being made for autism classes at primary school level in the wider catchment area, but not in the second-level schools.
“There is still work to be done at primary school level, and not every child with autism needs to be in an autism class. If a child with autism is happy and functioning well in mainstream, that’s great — but providing an autism class means that the support is available if required.
“I believe autism classes benefit the whole school.
“The children are happier in class, they are able to contribute to the school more, and they can thrive — and it also means that the teachers who were trying to support those kids who weren’t managing are freed up to help mainstream kids more.
“And the child’s entire family benefits too, and as a nation, I believe we all benefit if those with autism are supported.”
Local Sinn Féin councillor Eolan Ryng, who is also a primary school teacher, suggested the Christmas card idea to Ms Gould. He praised local business, Printout Ltd, for printing the cards at half price when they discovered what it was for.
“The Department of Education has the responsibility here, and I would like to see the minister act with a sense of urgency on this issue,” he said.
“Autism classes make a huge difference, not just to the pupils who avail of them — it provides them certainty and stability to access the curriculum at their level — but it’s bigger than that.
“The school itself benefits.
“The whole community becomes aware of autism, that people are unique and different and learn in different ways. These classes benefit everybody.”
