The committee also heard from an autism campaigner who said, 'the children have needs, it’s not that they’re attention seeking'. Photograph: Getty ImagesComments on education supports by an Independent Senator have been strongly criticised by autism rights campaigners as “deeply disappointing” and “insulting”. He said that “lots of children will present in their classroom as being needy or attention seeking” while teachers were overworked. “It is neither attention seeking nor needy to expect both.” Harris said the comments were “deeply insulting and out of step with what is the lived experience of autistic children and families”. This country has a long way to go to ensure that our education system is child centred, needs based and truly inclusive.”

Source: The Irish Times March 20, 2026 09:21 UTC