PARENTS of neurodivergent children have called for the establishment of a sensory hub in Clonakilty and for more supports for those living with autism.

At a public meeting in O’Donovan’s Hotel in Clonakilty on Tuesday, parents of autistic children were invited to share their worries and concerns.

Challenges faced by parents include the administrative burden parents often face, with long wait times and extensive paperwork for assessments and applications for Domiciliary Care Allowance and Carer’s Allowance.

Lack of respite care, waiting times for home supports and insufficient school places for autistic children were also causes for concern.

Members of the Clonakilty Autism Friendly Town Committee, which has been inactive in recent years, who were in attendance hope to reinvigorate the committee following their own public meeting which will take place next month.

The group was established to create greater awareness and understanding of autism, and Tuesday’s meeting came about to awaken the campaign for neurodivergent people in West Cork.

Evie Nevin, local area representative for the Labour Party, took part in the discussion not just as a local representative, but also as a member of the neurodivergent community herself.

Speaking to The Southern Star, she said the gathering created a ‘sense of community to parents locally and autistic people like myself, because it can be very isolating. And also, it was important for our public representatives to get a full picture of what is going on in their communities.’

Margaret Griffin, one of the organisers of the meeting, spoke about her ideas to make West Cork more inclusive for neurodiverse children. ‘I had generalised the idea of a sensory hub being a steel shed, insulated against noise, in a closed pitch, like part of the GAA,’ she said.

‘Inside that, there would be a ground trampoline, a sensory corner with lights and mirrors while over on the other side there would be a soft play area, so children who might have delayed motor skills could build core skills even without a diagnosis.’

Margaret believes that the GAA’s inclusion model should take autistic children into account.

Following the meeting, Cork South West Fine Gael Senator Noel O’Donovan said he would contact the GAA to discuss the possibility of establishing sensory hubs at sports grounds.

A WhatsApp group was established for parents in attendance to keep up to date on the latest developments.

Although the meeting focused mainly on the needs of autistic children, Evie also wants to create safe spaces and peer-to-peer groups for adults with autism.

‘All those parents had a kind of sense of community and camaraderie there,’ she said.

‘I want to foster the same thing then for us autistic people and to come up with ideas for how we can make Clonakilty autism-friendly for us adults as well.’