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
Autism
Stories about autism
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
Nature Boy by Seán Ronayne: A refreshingly open account of autism, difference and finding peace in nature
The Cork man has found solace and greater acceptance through his work identifying birds, their sounds and songs
I received an autism diagnosis at 34 and sat quietly with it in some discomfort
It may help explain why I have so often been described as ‘aloof’ or rude, or not having the expected emotional responses in various contexts through my life
Parents of more than 160 autistic children go to High Court seeking school places
Courts grants parents of six children leave to apply for orders directing Normal Foley to provide pupils with appropriate education
‘My six-year-old talks about the same thing over and over. It’s alienating him from his peers’
Ask the Expert: Is there a way of stopping him doing this without being critical?
Child with autism refused place by 19 schools
Government accused of failing to uphold right to education for children with additional needs
New strategy promises to deliver improvements to lives of people with autism over 18-month period
Government’s Autism Innovation Strategy unveiled on Monday
‘Our daughter blames us for not realising years ago that she was autistic’
Ask the Expert: She was diagnosed recently, aged 23. We did our best as struggling parents, but sometimes we did mess up and shout at her
‘They are being robbed of their potential’: Thousands of children with special needs waiting years for vital therapy
Parents worry that their children are slipping through the cracks of service beset by staff shortages, deficient assessments and a morale crisis
Nearly half of young at Dublin mental health service are autistic, says provider
Lucena Clinic gets accreditation as first mental health service in Ireland officially declared autism-friendly
Autism could be diagnosed with stool sample tests, scientists say
Finding suggests that a routine procedure could help doctors identify condition and provide support earlier
Eamon Ryan: ‘I will never forget seeing a really nasty comment about my father, who had just died. It has become worse since then’
Green Party's departing leader talks about corrosive social media abuse, his political legacy, and how the State is failing people with special needs
‘My 11-year-old son needs help with rejection sensitivity’
Ask the Expert: He is extremely self-conscious, gets very upset by perceived criticism and can’t take correction
‘You’re wasting my time’: Audio recording prompts father of autistic boy to complain of emotional abuse at school
Many parents of children with complex needs say pupils are mistreated in a school system with no guidelines for dealing with challenging behaviour
Boy with autism ‘distressed’ after being put in wetsuit against mother’s wishes to prevent smearing faeces
Ombudsman for Children’s Office finds ‘notable increase in complexity’ of complaints cases
Public and private sector employers urged to ‘work with the strengths’ of people with disabilities
Fórsa trade union conference hears of experiences of woman with hearing loss and man with autism and ADHD identifications
Twelve points to consider if your child seems to be academically or socially out of step
Move away from the stereotypes of learning difficulties, says author who has both personal and professional experience of them
Primary school challenges requirement to enrol profoundly disabled child
Board of management says the school lacks the expertise and access to supports required to meet the child’s needs
Nuala O’Connor on her adult autism diagnosis: ‘I’d found out it was my brain pushing me in these directions ... I was euphoric’
Author was at her lowest two years ago, but hope arrived via an interview on the radio, when she realised she might be autistic
Friendships on the spectrum: ‘I managed to mask my way into the popular group, despite never feeling like I fitted there’
The potential for miscommunication is high between neurodivergent people and neurotypical people, but there are ways to address this
How to advocate for and empower your neurodivergent child
The final article in a special six-part series on parenting exceptional children - a strengths-based approach to raising autistic, ADHD and other neurodivergent children
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