Mother of autistic boy to address European Parliament over lack of school place for her son

Alison Field, a Labour councillor for Dublin Bay North, is among five families who will ask the European Commission to investigate Ireland's failure to meet its legal obligations to children with additional needs.

A mother who has once more received more than a dozen refusal letters from local schools as she looks for a place for her autistic son will on Wednesday address the European Parliament.

Alison Field, a Labour councillor for Dublin Bay North, is among five families who will ask the European Commission to investigate Ireland's failure to meet its legal obligations to children with additional needs.

It comes as the number of children waiting nationally for an assessment of need is expected to hit 25,000 by the end of the year. 

Under the Disabilities Act 2005, children are entitled to an assessment of need within six months of their initial application, but this deadline is routinely missed.

“It's not just about the assessments,” Ms Field said. “It's the follow-up therapies, it's school places. It's medical appointments, there are so many issues around it.”

Her son James is 12 years old. She has so far received 16 rejection letters from schools as she looks for a place in a special school for him for this September. 

“James was around two when I knew there was something up,” she said.

“I didn’t have a clue so we went to the doctor. He was put on a list for an assessment, and when he was actually diagnosed, he was four. Two years were just lost.”

As a result, by the time he was diagnosed, James was too old for early intervention. 

They basically threw a few speech therapy sessions at him, then shoved him off to go on the list for the next place.

"We couldn’t get him a school place. We applied to 19 schools, and we got 18 refusals.

After a “long battle”, his family secured him a place in an autism class attached to a mainstream school.

“They are fantastic, they are brilliant and and I love them. I will be crying when it's time to leave but it was never his appropriate place. It was always a special school that James needed.” 

But now, again, as James needs a second-level school place, the family find themselves in "the same boat", so far receiving 16 refusal letters. 

"He has no place for September for secondary,” Ms Field said. 

“My fear is that if James is left sitting at home, he’ll regress. Little things I’ve gotten him to do before, if they’re not kept on, they are lost.

“My fear is that he’ll be placed in the wrong place, and not get the right supports.” 

It also has an impact on the rest of her family. 

“My daughter is doing her Leaving Cert in June, and she is more worried about James than her exams. She’s always worried about James, she loves him to bits and she’s more worried about his school place. That’s not right.” 

"She sees the impact here, and she sees no supports.”

Today, the group will address MEPs and ask them to investigate Ireland's failure to meet its legal obligations.

The average wait for an assessment of needs is nearly 25 months, she will say. 

Some families have been told to wait up to six years. These children are losing the most critical early years of their development, while the State does nothing.

Ms Field will call on the European Committee on Petitions to direct the European Commission to investigate Ireland's failure as a violation of EU law, and to recommend Ireland access EU technical assistance and funding to fix a "broken system" . 

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She will also call for Ireland's compliance to be monitored. 

The group is travelling to Brussels as as guests of Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, and will be accompanied by the party's education spokesman Eoghan Kenny.