June 19, 2018, Leinster Leader: Duck race to raise funds for a sensory room for St Mark’s School in Newbridge https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/news/319212/duck-race-to-raise-funds-for-st-marks-sensory-room.html St Mark’s School in Newbridge is gearing up for its sensory room fundraiser duck run next weekend. The aim is to raise enough money to build the facility, which is badly needed. Principal Alma Carley said pupil numbers had increased from 64 to 97 over the past four years. “We have a lot of children with autism and the sensory room is so important for them,” she said….
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.