Autism and school: ‘They say he has a right to education – but he doesn’t’

On weekday mornings, nine-year-old Kaiden Cunningham waits in the front room looking out for the school bus.

His other three brothers and sisters head off to their regular primary school – but he has nowhere to go.

“Kaiden loves books, bouncing on the trampoline or being on the swing; he loves his brothers and sisters; he loves cuddles and kisses – all the usual typical things any child would love,” says his mother, Nicola. “But he has severe autism, very limited words and severe communication difficulties, so he can’t tell us if cold or hungry or if he has pain.”

Kaiden was recently “permanently excluded” from his special class attached to Hansfield Educate Together national school in Dublin 15.

Up to 90 children with autism in Dublin 15 have no school places

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His mother received an email from the school stating it could no longer cope with his behavioural problems.

Kaiden had been progressing quite well during his first two years, says Nicola. But the combination of two deaths in the family within a year, along with medical problems which led to his lengthy hospitalisation, took a heavy toll on him.

He began to grow more frustrated in the past year. Soon, he was injuring himself and lashing out.

“He effectively had post-traumatic stress, which led to this self-injurious behaviour and taking chunks out of himself. We never saw that behaviour before,” she says.

Kaiden is one of almost 90 children with autism in the Dublin 15 area alone who do not currently have a school place or will be without one in the coming school year.

Ill-equipped

They include children due to start school in September or older children on reduced hours timetables or who have been expelled because their mainstream schools could not cope with them.

Experts say special classes are ill-equipped to deal with children with very complex needs.

Teachers often do not have training in special education, while special needs assistants do not require specific training either.

Special schools –with greater levels of training and support – are typically recommended for children with more severe learning or intellectual disabilities.

However, all special schools are full for the coming academic year and have long waiting lists for the following year.

In addition, special classes attached to mainstream primary schools in the area are also oversubscribed.

Home tuition

Children without school places can avail of home tuition – though parents are required to find tutors and funding only covers part of the school day.

Nicola says she needs a special school for her son. Other therapeutic supports are also vital. The alternative, she says, is that he will continue to regress.

“I can see it already – the change in routine is very hard for him, his self-injurious behaviour is growing, his aggressive behaviour is growing,” she says.

“With my three other children it’s easy. But for Kaiden we feel there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. They say he has a right to education – but he doesn’t now. If he doesn’t get the help he needs, he’ll just get worse and worse.”