{"id":17774,"date":"2024-11-19T07:43:55","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T07:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=17774"},"modified":"2024-11-19T07:43:55","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T07:43:55","slug":"once-my-autistic-son-turns-18-his-support-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=17774","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Once my autistic son turns 18, his support ends\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"BBCBBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Caroline Campbell was among parents who hosted the event at Stormont<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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“He would go from having five days a week in school in a supported environment with his peers to basically having nothing and being at home with me.”<\/p>\n

Caroline Campbell’s autistic 17-year-old son Oscar is due to leave his special school in two years.<\/p>\n

She travelled from Londonderry to Stormont on Monday to tell assembly members (MLAs) and others about the “cliff-edge” he faces.<\/p>\n

That is because Oscar will not receive automatic support to continue in education or training when he leaves school.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Because there’s no legislation, which is what we’re all here fighting for, he’s not protected once he’s 19,” Ms Campbell told BBC News NI.<\/p>\n

“Once that statement of special educational needs runs out at 19, that’s it, he has no protection legally.”<\/p>\n

Economy Minister Conor Murphy acknowledged that young people like Oscar with special educational needs (SEN) face “injustice” when they leave school.<\/p>\n

Murphy was speaking at an event at Stormont organised by parents of children with SEN.<\/p>\n

“We have a responsibility not just in my department, but across departments, to address that.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Conor<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Economy Minister Conor Murphy said politicians need to do more to address post-19 SEN education<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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The minister said there needed to be continued provision for young people.<\/p>\n

“We can’t just say, ‘we’re done with you, the education and training system is done with you at 19 because you have learning or other disabilities.'”<\/p>\n

First Minister Michelle O’Neill, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, Education Minister Paul Givan and a range of assembly members also attended the event at Stormont to meet parents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What is in place elsewhere?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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In England, an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) outlines a young person’s special educational needs up to the age of 25.<\/p>\n

It is a legal document, which also describes the additional support they need in education or training, and the outcomes they would like to achieve.<\/p>\n

But an EHCP is only in place for young people in England, though there has been criticism that some councils fail to meet deadlines set out in the plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Wales and Scotland, though, there have been recent reforms to help young people with SEN transition from school.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly also attended the Stormont event<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

‘Thrives on routine’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Parents came to Stormont to call for a change in the law to ensure support for further education, training and employment is in place for all young people with SEN when they leave school.<\/p>\n

Jaclyn Harron’s daughter Aoife is nine and attends Knockavoe Special School in Strabane, County Tyrone – she is autistic and also has severe intellectual development disorder.<\/p>\n

“Aoife has a dual diagnosis, which means she’s never really going to be independent,” she told BBC News NI.<\/p>\n

“Aoife just thrives on her routine, she loves her school.<\/p>\n

“My biggest fear is that when that comes to an end at 19 there is going to be nowhere for Aoife to go.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Jaclyn<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Jaclyn Harron’s nine-year-old daughter Aoife attends a special school in County Tyrone<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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She said not knowing what would happen to Aoife when she reaches 19 was a “really scary thought”.<\/p>\n

Ms Harron said she had friends whose children were about to leave school with special educational needs “and there isn’t anything in place”.<\/p>\n

Alma White is one of the parents who have been highlighting the need for a change in the law.<\/p>\n

She has called the campaign Caleb’s Cause, after her son Caleb who has complex special needs, including autism, ADHD and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Alma<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Alma White has been has critical about the lack of support SEN children receive after they leave school<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Ms White said a task force had been set up in the Department for the Economy (DfE) to look at options for change.<\/p>\n

“So we’re just kind of waiting to see, but obviously I’m pushing for it in this mandate,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Actions are going to speak louder than words.<\/p>\n

“What I would like to see is a public declaration of support and I would like to see it move forward.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Multiple reviews<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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It is not a problem that MLAs or executive departments have been unaware of.<\/p>\n

Stormont’s own research department has identified “multiple reviews” carried out over the past 20 years into the transition of young people with SEN from school.<\/p>\n

“Transition planning has been subject to considerable review and recommendation over the last two decades,” its most recent study said.<\/p>\n

But despite this “issues persist”, it continued.<\/p>\n

The research said that transitions from school were “a long-standing policy challenge, compounded by growth in the population and complexity of need of children with disabilities”.<\/p>\n

A recent review into Northern Ireland’s entire education system noted<\/a> that “many learners with special needs face particular difficulties at the point of leaving school and embarking upon adult life”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Source: <\/em> www.bbc.com\u2026<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BBC Caroline Campbell was among parents who hosted the event at Stormont “He would go from having five days a week in school in a supported environment with his peers to basically having nothing and being at home with me.” Caroline Campbell’s autistic 17-year-old son Oscar is due to leave his special school in two […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17774\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}