Care home worker sacked following remarks about autism wins unfair dismissal case
Adjudicator awards €12,500 for loss of earnings as ‘just and equitable in all the circumstances’
Autism
Stories about autism
Department of Education faces UN complaint over school guidance on use of physical restraint
Campaigners say new rules fail to protect vulnerable children
Why is mental health so much worse among Irish youths than adults?
Insta-therapy or therapy-speak should not be confused with real, very valuable therapy
Trump’s tariffs agenda will be ‘horrible’ for world, says Rosie O’Donnell
Actor and comedian was speaking at Malahide Castle where autism charity AsIAm held annual Same Chance Walk
An Irish doctor on why she believes autism, ADHD and depression are being overdiagnosed
Are we living in an age of overmedicalisation? Overdiagnosis of conditions such as autism, ADHD and depression is a result of the relaxation of diagnostic criteria, says consultant in neurology Suzanne O’Sullivan
The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O’Sullivan and No More Normal by Alastair Santhouse: Intelligently exploring questions of immense public importance
Are we becoming victims of too much medicine? Are diagnoses doing more harm than good? Those are among the contentious questions addressed with sensitivity in these two valuable books
Maybe I’m Amazed by John Harris: A father-son journey in autism and music
Journalist Harris’s swiftly paced memoir was sparked by his son’s autism diagnosis and the discovery of his ecstatic love of music
‘These children are being denied their constitutional rights’: Parents hold Dáil sleepout over lack of school places
Helen McEntee says she will not hesitate to use legal powers to force schools to open special classes if necessary
Waiting lists for assessing children’s additional needs is growing due to doubling of referrals, Minister told
HSE has capacity to carry out about 3,600 assessments annually, but 10,000 requests were made last year
Niamh Garvey on being diagnosed with autism at 34: ‘You suddenly get the language that explains your life’
The Cork author on living with autism and the release of her new book, a collection of personal essays written by autistic Irish adults
Author Jess Kidd: ‘My daughter said: Mum, do you think you might be autistic?’
The London-Irish writer on her latest novel, Murder at Gull’s Nest; being diagnosed autistic in her late 40s; and how she writes ‘with an Irish accent’
Give me a crash course in ... autism rates in Ireland
Autism prevalence rates in schoolchildren are rising. Most experts believe this is down to increased awareness, better diagnosis and a broadening of assessment boundaries
Spiralling numbers being diagnosed with disabilities will have ‘significant impact’ on social welfare spend
Expenditure on disability income supports up from €3.5 billion in 2010 to €6 billion in 2025
Source Code: My Beginnings by Bill Gates – An engrossing and surprisingly honest memoir
In the first part of three planned books, which takes us up to the late 1970s, a wholly unexpected picture of the Microsoft founder steps forward at times
‘It’s so deeply unfair’: Lankum singer Radie Peat on the lack of supports for her autistic daughter
‘You ask yourself, will she ever say mama’ - singer and Lankum musician told she must wait until July 2028 for services
Whooping cough increases autism risk in infants, Trinity research finds
‘Impossible to put a number’ on level of risk, says TCD immunologist who supervised research
Kanye West announces he has been diagnosed with autism
Rapper and fashion designer Kanye West says he was misdiagnosed as bipolar in podcast appearance where he also opines new album Bully and the Drake-Kendrick beef
Call for ‘urgent’ review of new restraint guidelines in schools
Rules fall ‘far short’ short of what is needed to protect vulnerable pupils, special rapporteur on child protection says
Regretting being a stay-at-home parent: ‘You’re sitting at home doing housework and you’re bored out of your tree’
Parenting Taboos: Admitting that you feel bored, unfulfilled, or even regret your choice to stay at home with your children is difficult but not uncommon
Will Robert F Kennedy jnr ‘go wild’ on health issues in the US and how will this play out?
Dr Muiris Houston: Rocky times ahead for US healthcare, with several flagged changes set to have global repercussions
RTÉ Late Late Toy Show appeal raises over €5m for children’s charities for first time
More than €3.7 million was donated through online banking app Revolut
Disability rights campaigner thanks Colin Farrell for giving her voice in US
Actor flew Cara Darmody (14) to Chicago to address event organised by his charity foundation
Living with disability: ‘I told my manager I had epilepsy and was told any slacking off would not be tolerated’
On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, an epilepsy sufferer writes about attitudes to disabilities in Ireland
Mother who fought for school places for autistic, non-verbal twins named Family Carer of the Year
Sarah Dooley from Co Laois takes overall award as five young carers also honoured at this year’s Netwatch Family Carer of the Year ceremony
Autism: Why are so many children being diagnosed these days?
As many as one in 20 schoolchildren in Ireland may have autism or similar developmental issues, studies suggest
Sharp increase in autism diagnoses to require thousands of additional special needs places in schools
Official estimates point to a near doubling in proportion of children with autism in need of support at school within five years
‘I believe my nephew may have ADHD or autism, but his parents won’t discuss it’
Ask the Expert: When we do rarely meet up, nobody is allowed to discuss my brother’s son for fear the family will never return to visit us. How to approach this?
Blindboy: ‘I left my first day of school feeling great shame. The pain of that still rises up in me’
The Limerick-based podcaster and author on his school trauma, adult autism diagnosis and unconventional mother
From screentime to dinner time: how parents can improve family life, diet and relationships
The Healthy Families programme helps parents to implement gradual but significant improvements to family wellbeing
‘My daughter enjoys college, but it is getting her there consistently that is the problem’
Ask the Expert: Our daughter has autism and would not attend school for three years. Now at college, her attendance has improved greatly, but we walk on eggshells around her. How can we better support her?
Some of our Parts by Laura Kennedy: A brilliant philosophical memoir about our multiple identities
The intellectual challenge of Kennedy’s sentences scorches new neural pathways
Substantial increase in number of 13 year-olds diagnosed with disability over last decade - report
The most prevalent physical disability was found to be blindness or visual impairment (24.8%), followed by pain or difficulties breathing (19.1%), trouble doing physical activities (11.9%) and deafness/hearing impairment (2.5%)
Calm interiors: How to use sensory design to change your overwhelming home into a peaceful space
A designer came to appreciate the importance of sensory-sensitive environments after seeing her autistic daughter’s experience
Sam Thompson: ‘I really don’t think there is a distinction to be made between writing for adults and writing for children’
Thompson’s new book, The Forest Yet to Come, is part of the Wolfstongue saga, which began as a direct response to his son’s difficulty with speech
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