Tipperary mother speaks of frustration as autistic daughter must wait for specialist preschool place

A local mother has spoken out in frustration about the recent news that her autistic daughter will not be able to start a special ASD pre-school unit this school year as planned.

Natasha Bray, whose daughter Caitlin currently attends a pre-school two days a week in Tipperary Town, is concerned about the impact of the delay on her little girl, who is due to turn three in January.

Caitlin had been expected to start at a different special preschool unit this September, which would offer Caitlin five days a week in the pre-school.

However, Natasha was informed last minute that her daughter could not take up the place because she would not turn three until January, due to the provider’s age policy.

Natasha understood the explanation and was initially told that Caitlin would be able to enrol in January, when she reached her third birthday.

However, she was later informed that no places would be available to accommodate Caitlin in January, leaving the family facing a much longer wait.

Caitlin is now expected to wait until next September to access the specialist preschool setting, when she will be three years and eight months old.

In the meantime, Natasha would like to see her daughter offered more days at her current pre-school, believing that regular opportunities for learning, play and social interaction are important during these early years.

“Her current pre-school is meant to move up to three days a week, but I have no timeline of when that will happen. It’s very difficult,” she said.

Natasha explained that she was relieved to have kept Caitlin’s place at her existing pre-school, despite the expectation that she would be starting at the specialist preschool in September.

“I’m lucky we didn’t cancel her place because then she would have had nowhere to go,” she explained.

The mother hopes that additional days at her current pre-school could provide greater consistency and help bridge the gap until Caitlin can access the specialist setting.

For families of autistic children around Ireland, a lack of spaces in specialist settings means many are only able to attend pre-schools for just two or three days each week.