(Ireland) Tallaght adds autism unit at elem school; principal 'very proud/excited'

Sept 22, 2021, Echo: New Autism Spectrum Disorder unit set to give students new lease of life https://www.echo.ie/new-autism-spectrum-disorder-unit-set-to-give-students-new-lease-of-life/

A NEW Autism Spectrum Disorder unit at a Tallaght primary school is set to greatly benefit students and give them a “whole new lease of life”. St Anne’s Primary School in Fettercairn unveiled the new ASD unit, called ‘The Haven’ as they welcomed the students back to school last week. Principal Ms Mary Cullen told The Echo that the school is “delighted” to open the unit after a long wait. “We are very proud and excited about the ASD unit,” said Ms Cullen…. “It is something that we had investigated about ten years ago and then there was just one obstacle after another, so it is just fantastic now that St Anne’s has realised the dream and we are starting a whole new chapter.”… “It will be amazing for the children. Two of them in particular would never have benefited from mainstream school and the parents would have not enrolled them, so I don’t know what they would have done. “Three of them were in mainstream with us but were really struggling and we knew in our hearts and souls that we did the best we could. They were amazing and so were their parents, but this is a whole new lease of life for them and gives them the opportunity to progress,” Ms Cullen explained.