I would travel the world to get my son Tadhg help
By Mary Dennehy
LEFT in limbo, isolated and unsure of where to turn for help after her son was diagnosed with autism, Sandra Dalton is now appealing for the community’s support in getting her boy Tadhg intensive occupational therapy to better his life skills.
Tadhg, who is now nine, was diagnosed with ‘classic autism’ when he was two-years-old, with his family spending the early years filling out application forms and waiting on an assessment of needs and a social worker.
Tadhg with his mam Sandra
“We were just left in limbo and we didn’t know where to turn,” Sandra told The Echo.
“We were basically waiting four years for the health service, so a friend pointed me in the direction of a private diagnosis.
“We paid hundreds of Euro to get a bit of paper with ‘classic autism’ written on it and nothing else – we were sent home with our bit of paper but no support.”
Sandra, who lives in Blessington, added: “Tadhg has difficulty communicating, he can’t express himself and experiences sensory overload.
“He gets very frustrated and he is at risk of hurting himself when feeling this way.
“He also tries to run when frustrated, he goes into fight or flight mode.”
Better quality of life
In a bid to give her son a better quality of life, better his life skills and support him in reaching his potential, Sandra has found a place in the UK called Brainwaves that provides intensive therapy – including occupational, speech and language, physio and psychology.
“I found a place in England called Brainwaves, which over two or three days looks at the child, assesses them and gets to know them and their challenges,” Sandra said.
“As they work with each of the children they also train the parents, they’ll train me how to apply the techniques to support Tadhg at home.
“They also give you a video with some tips and techniques on it that can be given to Tadhg’s school so not only can his immediate family be trained but his teachers too.”
She added: “If you live in Ireland and have the cash, then you’re alright,” Sandra said.
“However, I don’t have the money. Over the years the amount of money we have spent on supports, services and equipment for Tadhg… and he has not progressed as well as he should have.”
She added: “I don’t want to see my son in a situation where there is no help for him, I’d travel to the end of the world to get him help.
“I want to get a better quality of life for my son and I hope that other families may learn something from Tadhg’s story, and thay don’t end up like me not knowing where to turn in the first few years.”
Tadhg’s family has started an occupational therapy for Tadhg gofundme page, which hopes to raise €3,000.
This sum will pay for Tadhg’s first trip to England in October and a second trip next March.
To support the family’s campaign visit the GoFundMe page here.
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