Jackie's Story

I have three wonderful, beautiful children one of whom is autistic. My middle child, Denis, is lucky enough to be a student in an incredible school specifically for children with special needs run by St. Catherine’s Services.

I remember well the first day my husband and I, still raw from the diagnosis of autism, went to visit this special place. From the surrounding fields full of yellow flowers, a donkey grazing between hedges full of blackberries, to the warm, confident welcome we received, we were convinced very quickly that this was the place for Denis. We were brought to meet some of the other children. We were hesitant, with the usual unhappy images in our minds, of autistic children rocking back and forth, disconnected from everything around them.

What a different reality we met! The environment was bright, warm and happy. The children were busy working with their tutors. There was plenty of noise, laughter and high spirits, much like any other class room I have been in. This is the place where Denis has been attending school for the last two and a half years. In that time he has learned so much. The services that St Catherine’s provide are superb, he has had occupational therapy, speech therapy, orthotics for the correction of one of his feet…not even to mention the dedication and affection of his amazing tutors.

However, due to inadequate government funding, for this ever expanding service St. Catherine’s needs a helping hand now. Many of the parents are running various fundraising events but we really need the support of local people who are fortunate enough to have these services available in County Wicklow. I hate to say it, but nobody knows when somebody they love is going to need them. I would personally ask the people of this County Wicklow, especially in this season of goodwill and generosity, to think local and support a truly fantastic service that gives so much to these children.

Jackie Caruana,
Denis's Mammy.