'Like giving to one child by taking from another': Mother's fear for autistic son's future

Early intervention classes, preschools for autistic children between the ages of three and five, are “slowly but surely phased out, under the guise of inclusivity”, the Dáil heard last week. 

Alfie, 3. In September, Alfie’s ASD pre-school will close, to be repurposed for the upcoming school year as a General Learning Disability (GLD) class.

When Sabrina Dunne started her son, three-year-old son Alfie, in an early intervention class in Waterford last year, she knew it was for a limited time.

Her son needed specialised support, and she was offered a place in pre-school for autistic children at St Joseph’s Special School for 12 months.