When there ain't no mountain high enough

Ever since he started school, Fabian Cummins-Stacey (5) has had to carry his own schoolbag. "He always had to carry his bag, no matter how small he was, because I wouldn't be able to manage it," explains his mother Siobhan.

This is because she has a mild form of spina bifida and has always had to use crutches to get around. Every morning Fabian and Siobhan have to leave for school early, as Siobhan walks slowly.

Soon Fabian will be able to sit on his mother's knee to get to school - she will be getting an electric scooter to get around Kilkenny city. Siobhan is not getting any better, but knows that this will help her get to where she wants to go. She has had driving lessons with the Irish Wheelchair Association and is saving for an automatic car.

Not having transport poses difficulties. If the children ever want to go to the park or other places Siobhan says it has been difficult to get them there. "When children are more active and want to go to the beach and stuff, I wouldn't be able to run around like other people. When they were younger they knew the way I was, but they never did run off on me or ask to go. They learn with you."

Fabian's older brother Jonathan is 11 and gets a bus to the school of the Holy Spirit, a special school, where there are five to a class. He has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and has been on medication for the last four years "to slow that part of the brain that goes too fast", as Siobhan explains. "He has poor concentration and coordination and he's dyslexic as well."

Jonathan finds it hard to explain, but says that he is an "extremely loud person." However, within 20 minutes of taking the medication, Siobhan finds she can have a conversation with him. "Before that you couldn't. He can't hear you, he has no concentration whatsoever and he gets aggressive." When his concentration comes back he is more peaceful in himself.

Jonathan had to go for counselling and has accepted he can act differently to other children. "He realises that without the tablet he is a troublemaker." He takes two pills a day and needs them to concentrate in school, says his mother. Mainstream school didn't work for Jonathan as he needed one-to-one teaching. Siobhan also found it difficult to cope with. "I was getting letters saying your son did this, your son can't learn this - and he's dyslexic. I took him to a psychiatrist and that's when we discovered what he had."

Siobhan is separated and sometimes finds it difficult to deal with Jonathan because of her spina bifida: they are the same height. "I think sometime he thinks he is the boss, because of my height. But I just have to keep reminding him who's what and what's who. I have to be more strict than if I was tall and running around." Routine is always very important for Jonathan. If his schedule gets mixed up, he gets disoriented.

Siobhan is doing a NCVA course two days a week and has also been doing a FAS course for the last three months. Going back to education has transformed Siobhan's life.

In the last three months she has made up for the education she missed out on for the first 14 years of her life, which she spent in hospital. She can now help her sons more with their homework. "Jonathan is dyslexic and it's easier for me now because I can understand the words he doesn't understand and explain them better than I used to. "The homework he gets, some of the maths - he's fantastic at maths - I wouldn't understand, but now I am actually with him and doing the maths with him and know what I am doing with him. So it helps a lot."