Young Benjamin Tynan, from Celbridge, was diagnosed with autism when he was five years old.
And now, his heartbroken mum is speaking out, after her son was denied a place in a local school.
Siobhan Tynan said: "The local school have two places for five children so they had to do a lotto system and Benjamin wasn't picked."
"There is nothing we can do. I have been emailing Ministers and I've heard nothing from anyone. They know there is a huge shortage of ASD units in Kildare, as there is all over the country."
"Now if my child could go to mainstream school, it would be fine but he can't deal with it. He started out in a mainstream school before he was diagnosed and it was an absolute disaster. He needs the emotional, one-on-one support."
And now, Siobhan has even started a
petition, to try and get her autistic son a specialised place in the school.
She said: "This petition is the last resort. When every door is being slammed in your face it is soul destroying and you have do something."
Speaking to The Sun, Siobhan said:
"It's an absolute disgrace, it's tough enough being born with autism but to be discriminated against for being autistic is just not fair. Benjamin loves school, and he relies on it for socialisation."
"Benjamin was so excited about secondary school, he went online and researched all the teachers and the subjects. When I got the letter, I had to hide it from him."
