‘You are watching a child falling apart’

Kinnegad mother of three Dena Ó Ruaidhe says that her heart sank when the government finally confirmed last Tuesday that the scheduled reopening of special schools and classes would not be going ahead due to concerns about the health risks to staff and pupils.

Two of Ms Ó Ruaidhe’s children are on the autism spectrum. Her seven-year-old son Jack, who has severe autism, an intellectual disability and is non verbal, is a pupil in Saplings in Mullingar, while her six-year-old daughter Sophia goes to St Etchen’s National School.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Ms Ó Ruaidhe said that her daughter is high functioning and has coped well with being out of school for most of the last year. However, her son has fared a lot of worse.

“Jack doesn’t know why his bus isn’t coming every day. He gets up every morning religiously and waits for his bus. There is no way you can explain that it is not coming.

“During the first lockdown when they had five and a half months off, Jack started to self harm. He stopped sleeping. At most, he would have slept 90 minutes in a 24-hour period. He was constantly screaming.”

Ms Ó Ruaidhe says that Jack loves attending Saplings and has made major progress since he became a pupil in September 2019. She is fearful that if the school is not reopened shortly, all the progress he has made will be lost.

She is also worried that his behaviour and mood will deteriorate like it did during the first lockdown.

“He is not as bad yet but the cracks are starting to show. He is only sleeping about four hours a night now and other than that he will stay in his room on his iPad. He doesn’t want anyone near him. He won’t play with his siblings.

“He misses his school so much. He uses PECS, the picture based means of communication, and he brings us pictures of his school and his SNA.

“School is not school to him; it is a lifeline. They are teaching him life skills. That school is absolutely priceless to us. When he is there, he completely excels and does so well.”

Ms Ó Ruaidhe says that it is deeply distressing watching the impact that the absence from school is having on her son.

A student midwife, she acknowledges the challenges facing the government when it comes to easing restrictions at a time when infection rates continue to be high, but believes that special schools such as Saplings, which have relatively small numbers of pupils and are spacious, should be allowed to reopen.

Talks are ongoing between the government and different unions representing staff working in special schools and classes. Until Jack’s school is reopened and he gets into a routine again, he will continue to struggle, his concerned mother says.

“You are watching a child falling apart. He doesn’t understand why he can’t go to school, why he doesn’t have the security and these people who are there every day [in school] and make him feel safe are not there any more. He doesn’t understand.”

Dr Praful Ghyar’s six-year-old son attends St Brigid’s School. As someone on the frontline in the battle against Covid-19, he believes that the government was right to postpone the reopening of special schools and classes while the community transmission remains high.

However, he also thinks that when planning the easing of restrictions, the reopening of special schools has to be prioritised.

“Children such as my son and others are suffering a lot. When this started last March, he was home for six months. My wife and I were are both doctors and we tried to give as much time to him as we could and do as many of the activities with him as we could, but the social interaction part is very important for him.

“We think school is important to him in terms of social interaction. Now the only people that he mixes with are myself, my wife and his six-month-old brother.

“I think somewhere down the line his development has been hampered. Although the school is good and his teacher always calls him and gives us different activities for him to do.”

As a medical professional, Dr Ghyar understands the government’s reluctance to reopen schools at present, but believes that some measures need to be put in place for children with additional needs.

“Provision needs to be made so that children like my son do not suffer going forward,” he said.