My family will be moving to the Dublin area from the US. I have a 13 year old son who has Asperger's Syndrome. What can I expect in the way of special education? Who should I contact to find out the best schools/best areas, etc. Any information about the education system would be appreciated.

Hope someone can help my niece. I told her you guys knew everything!

Glad to see your post here, S. Hopefully someone will be able to help. E-mail me at [email protected] (I seem to have lost your e-mail.) I have a few sites that might be helpful.

I suggest you see a family doctor in the part of Dublin you will be living in.Services are available both from the public health service and privately.The best part of Dublin is the south east city and coastal area as far as Dalkey.Ballsbridge,Blackrock,Dalkey,Foxrock are all very expensive but have many private schools.Very few houses cost under half a million dollars and you could easily spend a million on a house.On the whole services for Aspergers are modest.I saw an article recently suggesting that Einstein probably had this condition as did Newton of gravity fame.

Facilities for children with special needs are not good in Ireland, and depend very much on the persistence of parents. Try the Special Needs discussion board at this website to get an idea of what you'll be facing -
http://www.rollercoaster.ie/boards/Default.asp
The North-east coastal area - Clontarf, Howth, Sutton, Malahide, Skerries - are also very pleasant and a lot more affordable than Foxrock (and you'll have a better chance of your child not growing into a money-obsessed horror). Try www.myhome.ie for a guide on house prices. My mother's maiden name is Noonan - maybe we're related!!

Any other suggestions?

Try contacting these places:

http://www.aspire-irl.com/
http://www.thechildrensclinic.ie/

Thank you, Irrover. One I have already contacted without response as yet. The other is a new resource. I will try it now. Again, thank you. Sherri