Ombudsman gets tutor back for autistic boy (4) [Independent.ie]
- Published: 14 July 2010
A SEVERELY disabled autistic four-year-old boy had his grant for a personal tutor removed by the Department of Education.
His parents were told his Home Tuition Grant was being removed and a place was available in a primary school more than 25 miles away from his home.
The child, who had behavioural problems, was not yet toilet trained and had a feeding disorder, was denied the grant despite his GP and the HSE's Early Years Support Team saying he was not ready for school.
His parents were worried the removal of the grant would stunt his intellectual growth and development.
The department relented and the child received the grant for another year after the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO) intervened to ask why a four-year-old child with autism was being forced to enrol at a primary school.
In another case, a 16-year-old girl felt "alone and unwanted" after slipping through the cracks of the HSE crisis-intervention service and becoming homeless.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
