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GILLIAN MILNE, THE mother of 11-year-old twin boys Kyle and Ryan who live with severe autism, today responded to an apology in the Dáil from the Taoiseach in which he said the state had ‘failed’ the family in providing an appropriate education for the children.
Gillian and Darren Milne appeared yesterday evening on RTÉ’s Prime Time to speak about their experience.
Speaking on today’s RTÉ Drivetime, Milne said it was “too little too late,” and that Martin can’t give them back the years her children should have been in school, making friends.
She said that the boys had regressed and that the family was in debt and had lost their home, as Gillian’s husband Darren Milne had had to leave his job as a bus driver to help care for his sons.
The Milnes told Prime Time in 2019 that their sons did not have a place in a special school. They had been offered a place in an autism unit in a mainstream school in 2017, but the parents believed the facilities were not suited to the boys’ needs.
As a result, the children were no longer able to avail of a home tutor paid for by the state. After appearing on Prime Time for the first time in 2019 the tutor was reinstated for a portion of the allotted hours per week.
Speaking in the Dáil today, Labour leader Ivana Bacik said that this is a countrywide issue.
“Everywhere we go we are hearing about the difficulties in accessing places (in special schools) for children with autism.”
Labour leader @ivanabacik raises the issue of parents struggling to get school places for children with autism, mentioning a family featured on @RTE_PrimeTime
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) May 18, 2022
Taoiseach @MichealMartinTD says 'I watched that programme. It's not good enough. The State has failed the Milne family.' pic.twitter.com/hXvgHU5159
In response, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said today that he had watched the programme, and that it’s “not good enough.”
He added: “The state has failed the Milne family, and Ryan and Kyle in particular, in terms of providing a proper, comprehensive education … that would be appropriate to their needs.”
He added that the Milnes had applied for places for the boys in two schools and had been refused.
“I apologise to the Milne family on behalf of the government, because it’s not good enough. I don’t stand over this,” said Martin.
“There’s an absence of proactivity in the system.”
Josepha Madigan, Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion, has been working on a framework to expand capacity in existing special schools, some of which are running out of space. The other side of that framework is establishing new special schools.
“We also need stronger legislation,” said the Taoiseach. “No longer can it be an option for schools to say we’re not taking in children with special needs.”
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His apologies mean absolutely nothing. Less than nothing actually because it gives the public the expectation he plans to do something to resolve the issue. So it’s harmful to those fighting so hard and so long to raise public awareness of the reality facing those with extra needs and their families.
@Carol Oates: He says, “failed by the state”. The state has been governed by FF & FG for the last 100 years. FFG are the “state”.
@Frank Cauldhame: failed by the state gives the slight impression there was a collective failure on everyone’s part somehow ..Wel tuned political speak from a career politician who’s party’s policies have destroyed this country
@Carol Oates: shocking, those people needed help two years ago & nothing has been done. We have a massive NGO sector in this country costing the state a fortune. Where are they in all this?
It’s not just school places. Thousands of children are being failed, especially children with additional needs. My child born with complex medical needs has been waiting 2 years for an ENT appointment, also waiting 3 years for an MRI and can’t have surgery until that’s completed. Speech therapy and OT have been stopped because of the disastrous reallocation of disability services which has removed services for most children. CHILDREN ARE SUFFERING and nobody cares!
Lessons will be learned, blah blah blah.
@Jules: exactly! Said sorry, let’s move on to the next issue we will have to say sorry for. Accountability! Not in politicians vocabulary.
At what stage do they learn lessons and stop apologizing for things that happened. Every week or so there is an apology from government for their past failings
We have for the past 18 years fought the good fight even raised the challenges our non verbal autistic young man has placed on our family life and our mental well being. Sad truth is Politicians like Martin profess shock horror but they know full well what’s going on. They leave the dail proud of their verbal diarrhoea contributions enter their homes and have a long restful night,weekends,holidays,meals out with their friends and family. Families like last nights primetime and our family suffer on. The sad reality for this family is like ours we are ignored and threatened by HSE social workers that if you don’t shut up and go away we will take your other children off you. When we dared raised our heads in utter despair a young green horn social worker reported us to her superiors
@Tim Brennan: I’m so sorry for you – that is terrible
@Tim Brennan: Finally my ASD son got assigned a keyworker..she not from our town, not even from our county to help direct me to Services so what a let down waiting so long for help.
It’s all messed up wouldn’t happen to Marty children I can assure you
All he’s good at, apologizing when the consequences of his privatize everything ideology is shown to harm people. But like all the other disasters, housing, health, poverty, etc. l, nothing will change.
Martin is paying lip service to an issues that has been highlighted again and again for years. A distraught family had to go on tv to get any support and to date thats been just words.
Speaking of words. Journal, it’s autistic. Not “with autism”, “suffering with autism” etc etc.
@Graham Manning: I studied a form of behavioural psychology used to teach people with autism. The current thinking is that ‘with autism’ is the appropriate term to use.
After all, autism isn’t their single defining characteristic.
@Kieran O’Donovan: I’m autistic. I don’t say I have autism. Each autistic person is different
@Kieran O’Donovan: My son says autistic or with autism, has autism. Since he is the one who has it/is it, he can call it what he wants and I will use the terms he uses unless an individual specifically tells me they personally have a preference, then I will use that for them. None of it is inappropriate, if the individual wants to use it, not up to us to tell them how to identify or to tell them that they are wrong.
@Kieran O’Donovan: the current thinking of NTs might be that. How many autistic people have you asked? Not their parents. Actual autistic people, themselves. Speaking for myself, I prefer autistic person or Neurodiverse.
@Terri MacDonald: I was just responding to Graham’s comment that you shouldn’t say ‘with autism’. I personally don’t care as long as it doesn’t offend the person we’re talking about. In the classroom they rightly/wrongly believed that “with” was the PC term to use.
Blindboy was recently diagnosed as on the ASD spectrum. He stated he’d rather not be labelled as autistic, but rather the diagnosis helps him to understand why he experiences the world a certain way. Neurodivergent I think was his preference too.
@Kieran O’Donovan: I’m sure you’re right. After all, what would I know about it.
@Terri MacDonald: Next he’ll be telling us “sure, aren’t we all a little autistic” How I hate when people say that
@Terri MacDonald: childish
@Xanadu Marmalade: I’ve literally never heard anyone say that
@Kieran O’Donovan: are you autistic? If not, then in what way is your response relevant?
Forget your apologies and treat them like human beings. I was born with a physical disability in 1972. I keep thinking of how hard it must have been for my parents back then. I never needed for anything because of the sacrifices they made (and I’m sure they had struggles with the system too but it was shielded from me). I had as normal a life as possible. I hoped in vain that things would be hell of a lot better for people who had children with disabilities in the modern day & if anything it’s bloody worse. Families shouldn’t have to continuously fight for what should be given as a right to any human being. It’s utterly disgraceful
He apologized almost seven hours ago and you are only reporting it now. Is this a distraction from something else Zuzia?
So if they take action on it now, its because of the tv programme. The constant pleading from similar familes before wasnt enough?
I know we all know this, but the gov dont care about something until its in the public eye.
It’s like they won’t vote for us we don’t really care. Martin above all our lot should understand. The families left to their own fate.
@Mary Nugent: this concept also applies to the housing situation.. those on the waiting lists ,more than likely won’t vote for any of the parties in power
@Lina Stein: if more people who are failed by this government did vote we might see significant change. Those whose needs are met tend to vote the same two parties as their parents.
To little to late as usual a joke
Heard Gillian Milne on the radio earlier what a wonderful advocate she is for her children who deserves all the support needed for them and the family after what they’ve gone through
It all comes down to votes at election time which is why water charges were dropped….all about the numbers
Just get him out ..goodluck and thanks
.id iot
Failed is past tense he should have said are constantly been failed by the state.. muppet
Find out who failed them how they were failed # why easy all the paperwork has to be there somewhere
Live a little longer lads before ye judge
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