State Wins Battle Over Arklow Autistic Boy's Education

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State Wins Battle Over Arklow Autistic Boy's Education

Friday, March 23 2007

The High Court has refused to force the State to continue to fund specific tuition for a six-year-old autistic boy from Arklow, County Wicklow.

The parents of Sean O Cuanachain had claimed that applied behavioural analysis (ABA) is a well-established, internationally recognised way of teaching children with autism.

During the 68-day hearing last year, lawyers for the boy said the State had failed in its duty to provide appropriate educaiton for the six-year-old.

They wanted the State to continue to pay for ABA, which costs around €50,000 per child per year, but the State argued against this.

Today, Mr Justice Micheal Peart said not enough evidence had been put forward to establish that the government model of education was not appropriate.

On the contrary, he said, it was an appropriate autism-specific model.

Speaking afterwards, MEP Kathy Sinnott said the courts had come down on the side of the State and an inappropriate means of education.

Sean's mother, Yvonne Ni Cuanachain, was extremely upset with the decision and said the future for her little boy looked grim.

"The light of learning has been all but extinguished for Sean today," she said.

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