NeuroVibe Tribe committee members at Ballyfermot Gaels walk on Saturday
Parents of neurodivergent children support each other
One group of Dublin 10 parents of neurodivergent children have come together to provide support for each other, and other parents in their situation.
NeuroVibe Tribe is a voluntary group, established in June 2024, who aim to make Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard an inclusive, friendly environment for children with additional needs.
“We decided to set up NeuroVibe Tribe as there was little to no activities for neurodivergent children,” parent and chairperson Antoinette Marin told The Echo.
“We provide activities including messy play sessions held in the Orchard Centre and an active club held each Sunday in the Ballyfermot sports complex”.
Antoinette’s 11-year-old son James was diagnosed with autism at three years old. His favourite activity is the sensory swims at Ballyfermot Sports and Fitness pool on Mondays and Saturdays.
“We don’t receive any supports, it’s a parent led committee, although we have received support in terms of facility use from local organisations like the Orchard Centre and Ballyfermot Sports Complex, and Ballyfermot GAA allowed us use some of their items for our active club,” Antoinette continued.
“In the future with the help of volunteers, particularly SNA’s or those with an understanding of neurodivergence, we hope to create more activities.”
The group also arranges bookings for a sensory hour at Cherry Orchard Equine Centre on Tuesdays, and for use of the sensory room in Ballyfermot Civic Centre, which was opened earlier this year.
“The launch of the sensory room coincided with our Autism Friendly Town training, our committee members selected the items in the room, and we create a weekly Event Brite for bookings,” Antoinette explained.
“We have a good summer planned, with lots of activities and we’re hoping to put on a summer camp as well”.
Ballyfermot Gaels GAA Club hosted a ‘Ballyfermot to Kerry 300km’ on Saturday, May 17 to raise funds for the group.
Members of the club walked and ran between 5km and 10km around the Ballyfermot area to help reach 300km, raising just over €2,300 on GoFundMe.
“We also have a number of parents running the Mini Marathon in aid of NVT, for which we are extremely grateful for,” Antoinette said.
She encouraged anyone who wants to get involved to reach out through their social media.
“We have over 1k followers on Instagram and over 850 friends on Facebook so we hope to increase this and reach as many families as possible.”
