Children with autism left without school places: ‘You feel like nobody is listening, no one is there for you’

Dublin mother Karen Fowler faces losing a job she loves because her youngest child Amber (12) has been refused a place by 19 secondary schools.
Amber has autism, an intellectual disability, global developmental delays and is non-verbal. Her parents’ applications for a place in 1st year for her have been rejected by both special and mainstream schools with autism units as they are all full. One special school in Kilbarrack said it had 53 applications for three places this year. Amber is number 50 on its waiting list.
The Raheny-based family is one of dozens across north Dublin without a school place for their children with additional needs as the new school year starts, despite assurances in June by Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State with responsibility for special education, that ensuring all children would have a school place was “a priority”.
Ms Fowler, who assists passengers with mobility needs in Dublin Airport, says she will have to give up work to care for Amber if she cannot go to school. She fears her daughter regressing and for her own mental health. “I am really scared. I am fighting so hard, and I am so tired. The stress and the pressure is incredible. You feel like nobody is listening, no one is there for you,” she said.
Amber attended an early-intervention school from age three, and autism classes in mainstream junior and senior national schools in Donaghmede, finishing in June.
A psychology report, conducted in January by St Michael’s House, says Amber has a “high level of support needs … best met in a special school that caters for children with moderate intellectual disabilities and autism”. Otherwise “a special class for students with autism in a second-level school will be needed [with] a high level of support”.
Since then, “school after school said they have no place for Amber”, says Ms Fowler, showing a file of rejection letters. Ms Fowler’s favoured school, St Michael’s House, Raheny, told her in February the September 2024 class was “heavily oversubscribed” and “unfortunately we are unable to offer your child a school placement”.
A spokesman for the Department of Education said on Tuesday that Ms Naughton was determined to ensure “every child has a school place for the coming term” and would consider using legal powers to direct schools to admit children without places.
“This includes Section 67 of the Admission to Schools Act 2018 which provides for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to direct schools to admit a student with special educational needs,” the spokesman said.
[ High Court schedules hearing of ‘test’ challenge to lack of school places for autistic childrenOpens in new window ]
Councillors Conor Reddy (Finglas-Ballymun) and Ruth Coppinger (Castleknock), who have supported rolling protests through the summer by parents of affected children, say the issue was among the “top three on doorsteps” during local election campaigns.
Mr Reddy is aware of “over 30 children who either have no school place at all or are in an inappropriate placement” while Ms Coppinger is aware of up to 20 children with no places across Castleknock, Hartstown and Blanchardstown. “This denial of rights by the Irish State and downright abuse of autistic children … mirrors previous scandals by the Irish State. We have to demand a massive package for autism and disability in the budget,” she said.
“There seems to be a complete lack of forward planning by the NCSE to ensure places for children,” said Mr Reddy, who added that a national protest in Dublin on September 26th would see groups from across the country converge to demand “children’s constitutional right to an education is vindicated”.
An NCSE spokesman said the organisation was “aware of the pressures on parents in this position” and was “actively working with families, schools and other stakeholders to ensure these children and young persons are accommodated in the new school year”.
More than €2.7 billion has been invested in special education this year, a department spokesman said – “more than a quarter of the entire education budget”.
This would provide “up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools and 300 additional special school places” in the 2024/25 school year. “For the coming school year, there will be over 3,300 special classes operating in primary and post-primary schools,” the spokesman said.