Transport strikes are 'like lockdown again' for Special Educational Needs pupils

The mother of a young special needs pupil has urged the education authorities, trade unions and politicians to ensure special schools are not disrupted by the ongoing strike action.

Lauren Smith’s youngest of three children, Ronnie, suffers from autism and becomes aggressive and very difficult to handle if forced to miss the routine of school life.

The family lives in the Rosetta area of Belfast and relies on buses to take Ronnie to and from Oakwood Special School off the Upper Malone Road.

With three days of industrial action next week, following other strike days in recent months, Lauren said it “feels like [Covid] lockdown again”.

She said: “When he’s in routine, and everything’s right, the bus is coming, he’s a wee darling, but when he’s stuck in the house and we can’t give him the routine like school, he becomes very aggressive. I don’t like to say that, and I would never have talked to anybody about Ronnie, but it has become a serious matter where nobody is listening”.

Ronnie is almost entirely non verbal and quite big and strong for his age, making communication difficult and the aggressive behaviour a painful ordeal for Lauren – when his routine is disrupted.

"So he can’t communicate to me, or his dad, what he wants and what he needs sometimes, and that is where the frustration happens. And if he doesn’t go to school then he doesn’t go to sleep, so you can imagine it becomes a nightmare,” Lauren said.

As it was initially very difficult to get Ronnie to travel to school on the bus, Lauren now has additional concerns that having too many days off could take the family back to square one.

“Their wee minds don’t get strikes – he just doesn't understand why he’s at home and why he not out playing [with his school friends].”

Although Lauren is grateful for the respite services available from the Sen Space organisation and Solas charity, she said there is no substitute for a school routine.

She also said she has no issue with the transport workers fighting for better pay, but believes there should be “special provision” to ensure special needs schools are not adversely affected.

“Why is that not happening? I just don’t get it,” she added.