Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her engagement in the aftermath of my raising the issue relating to this school previously. I do not in any way question her bona fides in relation to these matters, but we cannot treat children like this. It is just not fair. These are children with autism whose families may be struggling with other issues, as well as issues regarding their children's development. The answer here is that there are other classes in the vicinity, so go 10 miles down the road. It does not matter that the child's brother or sister is attending this school. It does not matter that the child's roots, family and connections are with this school. Three local families with children with ASD have been in contact with the school expressing the wish to enrol them. They will not be able to do so. They are local and they want their children to go to that school. A number of children in the school are in the process of being assessed. Once they get their assessments, they will have to leave the school because it cannot cater for them due to the lack of an ASD classroom. That means those children will be separated from their brothers and sisters. This is not the way to do things. Children with autism and their parents have enough challenges. For children with autism, the familiarity and trust that has been built up in the school community needs to be maintained. The Minister of State asked me if there are issues here. There are kids with autism who want to go to this school. There are pupils in the school who are likely to get a diagnosis. Please action this.

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