Oct 24, 2018, Leinster Express: Abbeyleix Lions raise vital funds for school Autism unit https://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/your-community/343841/abbeyleix-lions-raise-vital-funds-for-school-autism-unit.html Members of Abbeyleix Lions Club presented a cheque for €5,000 [$7,200 US dollars] to the Naomh Bríd ASD unit in Scoil Mhuire NS, Abbeyleix. The cheque was the proceeds of a Gala feast in the local restaurant, Bramleys on Main Street, Abbeyleix last July. Naomh Bríd is an Autism Unit attached to the mainstream school. It caters for 18 children aged from 4-13 years from the Laois area. The unit consists of three specially adapted classrooms, a kitchen, multi-sensory room, soft- play room, toilets and ancillary rooms. It is staffed by three full-time teachers and six special needs assistants….
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.