Dublin child denied special needs buggy after being refused from 83 schools
A mother who is mostly housebound with her six-year-old autistic son said she is being "slapped in the face in every angle" as he was refused a special needs buggy from the HSE. Frankie Edgeworth, from Swords, Dublin, has autism, an intellectual disability and is non-verbal. His mother, Shauna Spain, is his full-time carer, as he has been refused from 83 different preschools and primary schools. She says little Frankie has gone through 10 strollers, as they are not made for his weight and additional needs. He is able to get out of his current buggy which has put him in extremely dangerous situations. The young boy also suffers with severe weakness in his legs, which can lead to him falling up to 10 times a day. Recently, his father Darren Edgeworth experienced every parent's worst nightmare when Frankie ran out on to the road in front of a car. Shauna told the Irish Mirror: "He was able to climb out of the buggy and within two seconds ran in front of a car. Thankfully, the car jammed on its brakes and Darren grabbed him really quickly. It happened in a matter of a flash but had he had had the buggy that was meant for him that wouldn't have happened. "Frankie has no awareness of danger, he wouldn't understand he has to stay in the buggy. He can get out of the buggy, the special needs buggy has more robust straps on them to keep the child safe." Shauna says the special needs buggy is paramount for their lives as a family, as neither she nor her partner can drive due to having neurological conditions. She continued: "I really need the special needs buggy to be able to get Frankie around safely, for all of our qualities of life. My own neurologist said it would be really beneficial for me." The mother has been petitioning to get a buggy for her young son for years, however, an occupational therapist referral is needed for a consultation. Frankie was only first seen by their Children's Disability Network Team (CDNT) late last year, despite being referred to them at 20 months old. The young family were delighted when they were invited to fit him for a buggy. However, their hopes were quickly dashed when he was refused. Shauna explained: "We were invited down to the CDNT to pick our buggy and for him to be measured for it and then they declined it. We were given a dream that never came true. "That was really distressing and upsetting, especially because we tried the buggy for Frankie there and then and we saw how much better he did in that buggy. They said it's restrictive practice and we would be restraining our child and it's not right. We are not restraining our child, it's to keep him safe." These buggies need to be prescribed to ensure they are right for the user, and costs are upwards of €2000. The mother-of-one said her young son also won't sit in a chair in a public place that isn't his stroller, so it's difficult to take him anywhere. She continued: "We have been pretty much house-bound since he has outgrown the buggy, we tend not to leave the house for his own safety, we are very restrictive. It's funny, they are saying it's restrictive behaviour to put him in a buggy but he's more restrictive without the buggy because he's stuck in his house all the time." Shauna and Darren are two of thousands of parents across the country who are struggling to get their autistic child a school place. Frankie has been refused from 83 pre-schools and primary schools. Despite his severe needs, his parents say he has only had one physical therapy session in the last six years, no speech and language and no occupational therapy. His situation was brought up in the Dáil last week by Labour TD Duncan Smith, as stark new figures reveal the long waiting lists children with special needs are facing. In total, 81,661 children were on waiting lists at the end of March for essential therapies. Shauna said: "I have contacted a lot of other schools and they have told us they are not even looking at our application because the lists are so long. That's special schools as far as Drogheda and Dundalk. "If he can't get a school place, I'm saying can he at least get intervention and therapies? But I'm ringing and emailing every single day, they keep saying he is on the list, he was due to start a six week occupational therapy programme and the OT left. "I feel like in every angle we are being smacked in the face, he is getting nothing." The HSE was contacted for comment. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
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