Has already handed over 900 euro for professional assessments this year
FEARS and frustrations with the government cutbacks in the area of special needs have been voiced by local woman and mother of five, Marie Coonan, Mulgrave Street..
Marie has three daughters dependent on her, and both Mikayla 16, and Saoirse 12, have special needs.
Ms Coonan has struggled throughout the years to get both her children the help that they need; “Trying to get help is so hard…” said Marie, adding: “You could be waiting for two-and-a half-years upwards for occupational or speech therapy, which are essential”.
Waiting lists are now a huge element of Marie’s life, she has had to pay from her own resources for doctor’s assessments, unavailable through public health care for at least two years.
When Mikayla was six, Marie had noticed changes in her. Mikalya’s teachers informed her of mood changes and disruptive behaviour in class. She was taken to a doctor, but was told everything was fine.
By the age of 10, Mikayla had become disassociated from her classmates, and her primary school teacher informed Marie that she had fallen about two years behind in both maths and English. Marie went private to find out what was happening to her child, who was soon diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder which causes learning difficulties in 30-50% of its sufferers.
Marie moved Mikayla to Catherine McCauley’s school in Limerick, where she is now doing very well at her level. But getting there wasn’t easy, and she is still facing more and more waiting lists for varied programmes. At the moment, her daughter is on the waiting list for ‘Teen Focus’, which offers a sort of mentoring service for young people with special needs, However, due to cutbacks, Marie fears it is going to be even tougher to be a part of the programme, “ because the government has stopped funding for vital services.
Marie also advises that next year is going to be very hard on her daughter, as psychiatrists deal with children up to 16, and adults from 18, so she will have nowhere to turn for help.
But these are not the only problems facing the mother of five, Saoirse, her 12 year old daughter, suffers from dispraxia and dyslexia, and she, too, will suffer the consequences from the government cutbacks.
As many special needs teachers are to lose their jobs, Saoirse will lose out on vital resources and care that she needs to help her further her education. Both primary and secondary school teachers across the country will be under immense pressure to teach an entire class of students, plus special needs students at the same time .
Saoirse has been told by professionals that she needs one- on- one care to progress, but Marie feels that now this will be impossible; “she needs extra resources and we are not entitled to them anymore because of this government decision”.
With Saoirse starting secondary school next year, and Mikayla continuing her education in Catherine McCauley’s, Marie is frustrated and scared about the coming years: “It is the worst area that they could have targeted. They have picked on the most vulnerable people, it’s just not fair”,
This year alone, Marie has paid 900euro out of her own pocket for professional assessments which are needed for her two daughters. Otherwise, she would be waiting years to see a specialist in public care.
Marie told us that she has approached politicians but was told they were unable to assist. She also approached the CWO (Community Welfare Officer), without success.
The government decision to make cuts in special needs is deemed as unfair and unjust.. But Marie, as always, has her mind set on doing the best for her children and trying to get the best help available.
