Dublin rapper Nealo hits out at the ‘under-funded and under-resourced’ supports for children with autism
Neal Keating, from Clonsilla, also known as the rapper Nealo, said his son Jacob started mainstream school this month, but has been having stronger meltdowns as it is not the right space for him to develop.
“I cannot say enough good things about his school, they’re brilliant. But it’s a mainstream school and they don’t have the resources for Jacob,” Mr Keating told the Irish Independent.
“He comes home from school, bangs his head off the wall and hurts himself. That’s really sad as a parent to say that.
“He has started masking his emotions in school. For the first time ever he is trying to adapt his behaviour to fit into this school because he feels pressure.
“Then outside of school, a lot of issues come up like head banging and sensory problems. He’s just not happy.
“It would make all the difference if he got a place in a school suited to his needs because it comes down to everything. If he’s not happy, he doesn’t eat, or sleep well.
“Having an autistic or neurodiverse child is already hard enough without having the added stress and worry of the State not doing their job. It has a knock-on effect, his teacher is lovely, but if she’s helping Jacob, other kids are missing out too.”
Mr Keating has been worried about Jacob’s school situation for a while, as a lot of children are in similar situations.
“It’s sad, supposedly our economy is one of the strongest but we’re not looking after our most vulnerable kids. These children are born with a different way of their brains working. They’re being left behind and the Government doesn’t seem to care.
“There are thousands of kids waiting for an assessment, then they have to wait for services. It’s unbelievable. I have seen how the system works; I’ve seen how bad it is and how under-resourced it is.
“The people who work in these systems are lovely, but they’re underfunded and so under-resourced.
“Some people don’t understand what we’re going through, there is that lack of knowledge in society about neurodiversity. Before Jacob was born, I didn’t have a breeze about autism.
“Every single part of life is harder for them. Jacob will only eat a certain type of croissants, then you’re worried about whether he’s getting the nutrients he needs.
“There are so many facets to it that nobody would even think about it. From clothing, hair, washing, toilet training, schools, how they interact with other kids and how other parents might look at you.
“He [Jacob] might be in the supermarket and have a meltdown. We might be getting judged by other people or they’d say something.
“But he’s an amazing artist, he’s a great drawer, a natural. Recently he’s been brilliant on a scooter. I just started taking him to the skate park. He’s flying down the ramps.
“It’s funny because when he’s running, he’s still a little bit unsteady on his feet. But in the skate park, he’s just ripping the place up, it’s mad.
“It regulates him as well. If he’s in a bad mood or over-stimulated, I take him to the skate park and I know he’ll be feeling better. I just want him to have the chance to live a happy, peaceful, and fulfilled life.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: “The provision of appropriate school places for children with special educational needs is a priority for the Government.
“Responsibility for ensuring the provision of special classes lies with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and as Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion, Minister Naughton is determined to ensure that all children who require a placement can access this as quickly as possible.
“11 new special schools have been opened in recent years. Minister Naughton is meeting with NCSE every week to discuss progress being made to ensure that every child has a school place for the 2024/25 school year.
“In response to an increased level of need for special education placements, the NCSE and the Department have worked with a number of schools over the summer period to provide extra capacity. It is expected there will be further progress in relation to the admission of students into these additional places very shortly.
“The NCSE has a dedicated contact point for parents/guardians and regular updates are provided to parents/guardians of children who remain without the offer of a special education placement. The NCSE is available to assist this family.”
