Local mother desperately waits for help for son with autism
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A mother has been waiting months to get help for her autistic five-year-old son, after his spiralling behavioural issues led him to attempt to choke his two younger siblings.
Leóin McCarney Quirke, from Firhouse, is on a waiting list for her son Josh to see a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist and – following her son’s recent behavioural issues – a psychologist.
The mother-of-three, whose son was first assessed by the HSE four years ago, said she notified Chamber House in Tallaght about with her son’s increasingly volatile behaviour three months ago.
Ms McCarney Quirke told The Echo: “He’s choked his brother and sister, he’s gone after his sister with knives.
“He’s been getting progressively worse for the last nine months. He’s at the stage where when he throws a wobbler I can’t lift him up anymore.
“The last time he kicked me I fell and got a slipped disc.”
She added: “Behaviour is a difficult thing because autistic children don’t know how to self-regulate.”
Josh has recently finished junior infants, and while Ms McCarney Quirke says that Josh manages to “hold it together” in school, she’s faced with difficulty when he gets home as there’s “an explosion of all the things that he has pent up during the day.”
The young boy, who has been assessed by the Early Intervention Team, will be switched to the School Age Team when he turns six years old in October.
The HSE stated the current wait time to access the School Age Team services in Chamber House is 33 months, in response to a Dáil question raised by Sinn Féin deputy Sean Crowe.
The HSE also stated that it is “pursuing matters with a view to securing increased therapist posts and the filling of those posts to reduce the current wait times within the area.”
Ms McCarney Quirke said a number of the supports offered to her so far have been unsuitable, including a summer camp which didn’t address or support Josh’s needs and parenting groups.
“My background is in education, I’m a Montessori teacher. I could practically teach the parenting classes.
“I don’t need a parenting course, I need practical help to help my child deal with his emotions, as that is what’s causing these conflicts.”
The HSE was contacted but did not respond in time for print.
