NINE year-old Lauren McGrath has battled with cancer not one but twice. Yet, despite her tremendous courage, she is deprived of the company of her friends and the chance of a proper education because of the lack of a Special Needs Assistant.
Lauren passes out up to forty times a day but can only have the services of a part-time SNA, which means she has not been able to go to school since June.
Lauren and her family in Askeaton have been fighting to get her well for years. The gruelling treatment she endured included a bone-marrow transplant, extensive chemotherapy and eight full body sessions of radiation.
But while the treatment cleared the cancer, it took its toll on Lauren’s health.
“Last November, she just started dropping,” explains her mother, June.
“She has scar tissue on her brain from the cancer treatment and she has developed epilepsy. Specialists are trying to find a medication to help get her life back but in the meantime she needs constant attention.
“Lauren can’t go to the bathroom alone as she would fall. When she walks anywhere, I have to hold her under her two arms in case she drops. The seizures only last seconds, but she can hurt herself. We tried sending her to school using a shared SNA, but she was coming home full of cuts and bruises. We just couldn’t risk sending her back,” June told the Limerick Post.
Lauren’s handwriting has deteriorated and her cognitive abilities and ability to carry out simple co-ordination task have all diminished.
“The school principal has asked if we will bring her in for the two hours a day that he can guarantee she will have one-on-one attention from an SNA. We will try that but she is still being deprived of a proper education. She’s survived cancer but now my daughter is here on the couch and the world has forgotten her”.
A consultant neurologist wrote to the school and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) stating that Lauren needs 24 hour supervision, but it is very important she continues to go to school. She absolutely meets the criteria for an SNA,” the letter states. The neurologist went on to describe Lauren’s condition as “rare” and “severe”.
An NCSE spokesperson said they do not comment on individual cases but that they had allocated 1.5 SNA posts to meet the care needs of four students in St. James primary school in Cappagh, Askeaton for the 2015/2016 school year.
“We are satisfied that the school can manage and deploy the SNA support allocated to meet their care needs.
“All schools were advised of their right to appeal when the SNA decisions issued in July. St. James appealed the level of SNA support allocated to the school and this was processed by a special educational needs organiser who was not involved in the original decision. The appeal was not upheld and the school principal was notified of this in early October”, the spokesperson said.
