The father of a boy with autism has approached 26 Dublin schools in a fruitless attempt to find a class for his son.
Ian Diamond says he and his wife Josie have searched across the Irish capital to try to find a place for five-year-old Dylan.
Ian and Josie Diamond with son Dylan, who is to be home tutored after problems finding a school place
The Irish government insists all new schools should offer specific classes for children with autism. However, reports suggest that most don’t and demand outstrips supply.
Dublin schools not providing enough classes
Environmental charity manager Diamond said existing schools in Dublin are not providing classes for pupils with autism “in great numbers”.
Ireland offers pupils with autism an education either in special schools or dedicated autism classes within mainstream schools.
Diamond, 37, said: “It’s a minority of schools that supply classes for children with autism and most of the places that are there are already filled.”
In the meantime, Ireland’s Department of Education and Skills (DfES) is paying for a home tutor for Dylan.
Shortages in secondary schools
Graham Manning is an autism co-ordinator at a Cork secondary school.
He believes shortages of classes for pupils with autism are worse in secondary schools than in primaries.
Manning said: “In Cork, for example, there are 81 ASD (autism spectrum disorder) special classes in primary schools. There are 40 in secondary. Every special class has six students in it.
“So if you do the maths on that, 80 does not divide into 40, no matter what way you do it.”
A spokesperson for the DfES said since 2013/14 the number of classes for pupils with autism has increased from 511 to 1,196.
And since last month, education minister Joe McHugh has had the authority to force schools to offer classes to pupils with special needs.
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Published: 7 February 2019
