The mother of a severely non-verbal child has expressed her anger after being told that her child could not be offered a place in a school which meets his needs for the second time.
Eileen Mulligan from Ballynahinch said that her son Reuben missed out on nearly two years of nursery school because there was no spaces available in a school which met his needs.
Now the family say that they have been told by the Education Authority that Reuben won't have a place in a primary school which meets his needs as there are no places available.
Read more: Mum's frustration as non-verbal son unable to get a place in nursery
"Reuben has severe learning difficulties and they have him in nursery three days a week," Eileen told Belfast Live.
"He is only in an hour and he is home. By the time you get him in the door he is screaming and crying and he has had his classroom assistant changed twice.
"I got a call from the Education Board saying that there would be no capacity in any of the schools that we had selected for him and that there is nothing they can do as they don't have a place for him."
Eileen said that the period he spent without a nursery place has severely impacted upon his development.
"Reuben has missed out on so much. His teacher has said that he is missing out on getting to do all the things that the other kids are doing and that he isn't reaching his full potential because the EA can't place him in a school which meets his needs.
"An hour three days a week is not fair on the child. He is coming home from the nursery crying and wondering why he is being singled out and leaving before everyone else.
"He is severely non-verbal and the nursery that he is in is not equipped to deal with children who have severely special needs.
"He also has behaviour issues as he can't fully express his frustration and mainstream schools are not able to cope with that.
"Every child is entitled to a school placement and that should meet the needs of the child."
A spokesperson for the Education Authority said: “The Education Authority is committed to ensuring that every child with Special Educational Needs (SEN) who requires a new placement for September 2023 is placed in an appropriate setting that meets their needs.
"While EA cannot comment on individual cases, SEN Link Officers will contact parents when a possible placement has been identified. Parents of children with a statement of SEN who have concerns are encouraged to contact the SEN Helpline.”
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