Alma and Caleb White have spoken a number of times about the need for a plan to help young people with SEN move from school into further education or training.
Alma and Caleb White have spoken a number of times about the need for a plan to help young people with SEN move from school into further education or training Young people with Special Educational Needs leaving school are treated as a "price tag", according to the mother of an autistic teenager.
Alma White appeared at Stormont's Education Committee with her son Caleb; she was one of a number of women who spoke to MLAs about the transition from school to adult care in Northern Ireland. In a presentation, the mothers said that move for young people with SEN was "unclear" and "fractured".to offer statutory post-school support before the next assembly elections in May 2027. Emily is non-verbal, tube-fed and is a wheelchair user who attends Parkview Special School in Lisburn.
"The opportunities available to neurotypical school leavers aged 18 are second to none in Northern Ireland," Ryan said.have spoken a number of timesCaleb White read MLAs a poem about the "daily battle" he and other young people went through. What concerns do Karen Ryan and Alma White have?
The mothers said that families were confronted with many difficulties when their child with SEN reached the age to leave school, including a lack of joined-up collaboration between health trusts, and between the education and health departments. In England, an Education, Health and Care plan outlines a young person's special educational needs up to the age of 25 but in Northern Ireland, no such plan is in place.to be in place in Northern Ireland, that would provide a statutory pathway for them to enter further education or training.
In answer to a question from the Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan, White said she felt support "all comes down to money". She said that was "really difficult.
" "I'm telling you now in three or four years you're going to triple that cost if you don't get a handle on this. "Ryan said that distinction between disability and difficulty could be crucial to access support when a young person left school. An IQ of more than 70 can mean that young people with SEN cannot access disability services as an adult.
Back in 2010, a report published by Autism NI with Ulster University highlighted that the IQ threshold of 70 remained "a barrier to services for many families". Ryan said that meant that young people with a learning difficulty who already had a statement of SEN had to pass an IQ test to get access to adult disability services. Ryan told MLAs about the case of an autistic teenager with challenging behaviours and "significant social and emotional support needs".
"Although he has a high IQ, he requires daily adult support to manage anxiety, regulate behaviour and remain safe," she said. She said that he was "not considered to have a learning disability because his IQ assessment scored just four points above the qualifying threshhold of 70.
" "As a result he falls into a gap where he is considered too able for some services yet not independent enough to cope without substantial support. "White said that she had to prove that Caleb had a learning disability "having been in special school since he was three with complex needs". "It is incredibly anxiety-inducing for parents. "This would not happen to grammar school pupils.
It's a lack of equity that has existed for decades.
"Ryan said that at Emily's special school she support and opportunities, much of it supplied by parents through fundraising. Those included music therapy, art therapy, a dedicated sensory room, swings and trampolines and training for both staff and families. Ryan said Emily received "structured routine, communication time, sensory-based play, interactive story time, whole-school assemblies, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, speech and language therapy".
"Health and social care intervene for life, education needs to be in place until at least 25. "
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