Nov 5, 2018, Independent: Six pupils with autism start late due to build delay https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/education/six-pupils-with-autism-start-late-due-to-build-delay-37492153.html
Six children with autism are to start their long-awaited first day of secondary school today after building delays left them without a classroom for nine weeks.
An extension to St Conleth's Vocational School in Newbridge, Co Kildare, which included two new units for children with autism, was due to be completed by September 1 for all pupils to return from the summer break.
However, delays in signing off on the new building by the Department of Education and the local council meant the school could not fully reopen in time, leaving six children at home for the first half of the term.
Cecilia Semple, whose daughter Kelly (13) will attend the school from today, said parents feel their children had been "forgotten about" and were treated as "invisible" by officials. …
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.
Loss of Brain Trust features over 9,000 news stories published worldwide since January, 2017
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