IS YOUR CHID AGED BETWEEN 5 and 7.5? ----THEN THEY MAY STILL BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A HSE ASSESSMENT OF NEED

Autistic boy 'in harrowing circumstances' wins case

 

From The Irish Times - Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A HIGH Court judge has rejected claims by the HSE that a severely autistic boy in “harrowing” family circumstances was not entitled to apply for a support scheme on grounds he was aged over five when the application was made.

The HSE had argued that the boy, now aged seven, had to be aged under five when applying for the scheme.
However, Mr Justice Michael Hanna yesterday ruled the boy was entitled to be assessed under the scheme after finding the State had failed to explicitly state a time limit for entitlement to apply for the scheme.
It was regrettable the wording of an order introducing the scheme was not more clear and there was also a lack of transitional arrangements for the introduction of the scheme, the judge said. A considerable amount of controversy and “perhaps heartache” would have been avoided had this been done.
Through his father, the boy had appealed the HSE’s refusal to consider his application to a Disability Appeals Officer (DAO) who in June last found the boy was eligible for assessment under the scheme which assessment, the officer said, should be provided within three months.

The HSE appealed that determination to the High Court which yesterday upheld the DAO’s decision.

The court heard the boy’s father had filed an affidavit outlining the family’s plight and Mr Justice Hanna described the problems facing the child and his family as “immense and harrowing”.

The boy was aged just three months under five on June 1st, 2007, when the Minister for Health and Children approved a commencement order under the Disability Act 2005 providing for a right to assessment.

The HSE argued only those under five could apply for assessment while the DAO contended the Disability Act applied to children under five as of June 1st, 2007. Mr Justice Hanna ruled the literal interpretation of the order meant the Disability Act was to apply to children under five as of June 1st, 2007.


The wording of the Disability Act 2005 leaves it open for any child who is born since 31/05/2002 (and not just those who are aged <5 at the point of application) are eligible to apply for a HSE Assessment on Need.

This decision would allow children who are currently aged between 5 - 7.5 to also apply -a I'm not sure how long this loop hole will remain open ...
- however given the current interpretation of this legislation they are entitled to get a full assessment of need.

SO APPLY NOW ....

(Thanks to Edel for the information)

TTRS Article Irish Examiner 04.12.09

This was a wonderful write up published in the Irish Examiner last December about the TTRS Touch typing course held in Wesgate Computer Centre which many children from CAN attended.  This course was designed for people with learning difficulties.  Not only did it teach typing, but it improved both reading and spelling skills.  The children who attended were motivated by the course and it built up their self esteem.

www.ttrs.co.uk has details of courses that are run nationwide.

To read the article, please click on it and it will enlarge in a new window.

Michael Farrelly Osteopath

Cottage Autism Network as a support group for families affected by autism are circulating this item for information purposes only. Any follow up action by anybody in relation to this circulated information is entirely their own decision and they should not infer from our issue of the information that the content is being endorsed by C.A.N.

Micheal Farrelly a classical Homeopath, spoke at our CAN meeting on tuesday night 19th January . He gave a very interesting talk about homeopathic remedies etc. He will come for consultations in Wexford if there are families interested in seeing him.  Please contact Michael at 086 1596119 or email at farrellym@hotmail.com

Fees €100 first consultation and €50 for follow up consultations.

Making Movies with Terence White

As part of the Cottage Autism Network’s siblings programme a film camp was organised with local film maker Terence White.

It was a small group of eight with ages ranging from 11 – 14. The ethos behind this particular group was to give the older siblings of families affected by autism a chance to meet others in a similar situation and because of the small group we could include kids that are on the spectrum who could then mix with others in their age group to gain valuable social practice.

The workshop ran for four consecutive days in July during which they produced and wrote their own film. The workshop then continued for a further three Saturdays in September, during which they produced a second film which this time had been written by Terence himself based on having met the group and gotten to know their interests and strengths.

We had a great diverse group who really seemed to work well together and who responded well to Terence’s way of working. The sheer amount of work involved in film making is sometimes overlooked. For example when having to re-shoot scenes up to 12 times the process can often be very tedious. The whole workshop was a great achievement for our group and it is a great credit to them to have worked so well.

Most of the kids in the group showed great interest and talent in the different areas of film making, from the technical aspect to the acting side. Even the kids who may not have had a particular interest in film production really seemed to enjoy the company that came with the workshop.

Overall it was a very fun and positive experience for all involved. We hope to continue organising more workshops such as this in the near future.

Ladies (& Gents) who lunch...

On Sunday 17th January, a distinguished looking group of Ladies and more than a handful of Gents spent a fine afternoon, wining and dining in the plush surroundings of the Ferrycarrig Hotel at a lunch hosted by the Soroptomist Association, who once again arranged the event and prizes in aid of Cottage Autism Network. There was entertainment galore and a huge turnout once again this year. The theme was "Red & Chic" and indeed, the guests obliged and there was no finer looking group of people dining on fine food in the Wexford area that day! Indeed, we ate, we drank and we were certainly merry!

Occupational unit to be dedicated to Aoife

Caroline Kennedy & Maclean Burke (Damien from Fair City)

Caroline Kennedy & Rosaline Moules

Wednesday December 09 2009

A SPECIALISED Occupational Therapy Unit at St. Senan's Primary School in Enniscorthy is to be dedicated to the memory of a young Carnew girl who tragically lost her life in a traffic accident in Carnew three years ago.

The parents of the late Aoife Kennedy set up a memorial fund in her honour and last week handed over the sum of €6,000 to the Cottage Autism Network (CAN).

The Aoife Kennedy Memorial Fund held a Halloween Fancy Dress night in Kenny's Pint Depot, Carnew, back in October, and €6,000 was raised for the Cottage Autism Network (CAN) and St. Senan's Primary School Autistic Unit in Enniscorthy.

The proceeds went towards the purchase of Occupational Therapy Equipment for children with Autism which is costing in the region of €26,000.

The hardworking parents at the school have been raising funds locally for the equipment, and they were delighted to receive the financial boost.

Accepting the cheque last week, Servaas Dobbier, Chairman and founder of Cottage Autism Network Wexford, stated that 'the generosity of people in the Wexford area has always been to the fore and we want to thank them for their continued support.'

Dr. Henry Goff, Principal of St. Senan's Primary School, Enniscorthy, acknowledged the work that has been done over the years by the Parents' Committee with all their fundraising efforts. In particular, he thanked Caroline and Matthew Kennedy, Ballyellis, Carnew, for their support and generosity through the Aoife Kennedy Memorial Fund, and for their wonderful donation.

The Kennedys thanked everyone for their help and support with the fundraiser and their hardworking committee of: Michael Dunbar, Gorey; Ailish and Mary Walsh, Donishall; Colm Moules; and all those who supported the venture and to all the businesses for their generosity.

Due to the phenomenal support it is hoped to make this an annual event in order to help other deserving children's charities and keep the memory of an 'Angel' alive.

The Parents Committee of the Autistic Unit of St. Senan's Primary School, Enniscorthy, presented Caroline and Matthew Kennedy with a special plaque in memory of Aoife, to acknowledge their fundraising efforts. The Occupational Therapy unit will be dedicated to her memory.

Duo present Autism Network with marathon proceeds of €18,000

Wednesday October 21 2009

WEXFORD'S COTTAGE Autism Network (CAN) recently received the proceeds of fundraising carried out by James and Paul O'Connor at a special presentation in Enniscorthy.

James and Paula raised €18,000 raised by running in the Oylegate Mini Marathon in June of this year. They have organised this event for the past few years and kindly donated the proceeds to Cottage Autism Network, a countywide support group for families living with autism.

On the night the CAN group also bade farewell to Occupational Therapist Claire Nicholl who had been recently employed by the group to offer occupation therapy to group members. She is wished well in her future endeavours.

Barndance fundraiser 09

On Saturday 25th July, crowds started to gather at a marquee in the centre of a farmyard. At first glance, you would do a double take as there appeared to be hundreds of cowboys, cowgirls and the occasional indian assembling at this unusual location... It was time for the annual "Barn Dance" in Cloneys Farm in Co. Wexford. For many years this has been a fantastically successful fundraising event with this years proceeds being divided between Wexford Mental Health Association and Cottage Autism Network, Wexford. In 2008, a staggering €65,000 was raised from the dance and it is hoped that this year was as successful!

The event was incredibly well run, with plenty of seating and tables for weary cowboys to rest their feet after dancing the night away. There was a fully serviced bar and the food served was fabulous. There was a hog roast, raffles, spot prizes and some incredible dancing exhibitions during the night. Everywhere you looked there were smiling faces and parents letting their hair down. A fantastic night out and I for one am already looking forward to next years!

Date for the 6th annual barndance has been set for Saturday July 24th, 2010.

How CAN came to life...

Published Wednesday February 27 2008

A WEXFORD based couple who have offered untold support to children with autism, are the worthy recipients of the Health and Welfare People of the Year award.

Frederike Frederiks and Servaas Dodebier have dedicated their lives to giving early intervention' to children with autism, with a view to helping them move on to main streem schooling. As founders of The Cottage School, the pair employed tutors who set up individual educational programmes for children with autism, and saw immediate progress in their own children. Through their dedication the paid campaigned to have the Department of Education provide a specific autism unit, and one is now established at Scoil Mhuire.

The unrelenting grit and determination of Frederike and and Servaas has helped over 30 children in Wexford, with a 57% success rate into mainstream schooling - a statistic which is even better than the experts anticipated.

As a result the Cottage Autism Network was born and now there are more than 50 families from Wexford who are members.

Early intervention for children with autism is crucial, and the first hurdle every parent encounters is getting a diagnose. Not deterred, Servaas and some friends from Irish Autism Action climed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds to found Solas, a diagnostic centre of excellence.

People can bring their child there and have them assessed by a full team of occupational therapists, psychologists and speech therapists. The ethos behind the centre is that a diagnosis is made within six weeks. More than 26 children frm Wexford children from Wexford have been assessed and thanks to the generosity of the people of Wexford, through Autism life cycle 2007, the burden of cost was reduced for these families. For many people their home has become a home from home for other concerned parents, where a warm welcome is always offered. As one of their nominators put it Their home is a place of hope, where the abnormal and sometimes idiosyncratic nature of our special children is treated as normal and no different, and where I for one, always left happier, and full of hope and determination, knowing I wasn't alone in this one.'

Welcome to the blog

Welcome to the new Cottage Autism Network blog. We will be posting up news on fundraisers, events, meetings and functions that arise. If any member wishes us to put anything up on the page, they can contact Hilary at can.wexford@ymail.com or myself, Tracy @ canwexford@hotmail.com.

Why a blog? When a parent first finds out that their child has autism, or suspects there may be a problem, they usually first turn to the Internet to find answers or look for local support groups in their area. Now when they type autism and Wexford into Google, they will be able to access our page and get the contact details needed to join up with CAN and get the support that is vital to all families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Existing members will be able to access all the information regarding upcoming events and we will be posting pictures and reviews of events after for all to enjoy.

Please feel free to leave comments on the posts.