Julieann McGovern is part of a group of parents calling on the Government to provide more support for children with autism.
She recently stood outside Leinster House with a placard to put pressure on those in power. The distressed mother has watched her son Dylan deteriorate in front of her eyes due to a lack of vital support.
Julieann told Dublin Live that the eight-year-old is non-verbal and is unable to regulate his emotions.
Read more: Desperate Dublin mum protests outside Dail to get autistic son into new school
She said: "We were there to highlight and to show people that the Government are not giving the services, therapy, respite and home help that our children need.
"I am also part of the Dublin 12 campaign for autism services and inclusion. I'm part of the committee because I have two children on the spectrum.
"My son who is 8-years-old has received no help or input from the HSE and he's deteriorating before our eyes.
"Dylan is non-verbal and has major behavioural issues. We had to go to court to get him a school place.
"Unfortunately now, the school place is not suitable for his needs. We only had a meeting with them the week of the protest in town where the school said that they are struggling and don't feel like they can meet his needs.
"We now need to look for a new school place for him. The Department of Education don't have the places. They don't have the staff. They're not trained to deal with my son.
"My son is in a situation where he is deteriorating. He is being suspended a number of times at eight years of age for behavioural issues that are totally out of his control.
"The behavioural code in the school doesn't meet a child of his ability and his needs."
"Dylan can be a very loving an affectionate boy. He's had no therapy teaching him how to self regulate or communicate. His only way of communicating is lashing out and hurting people around him.
"You can see it in his eyes. We had to medicate him because of the behavioural issues but the medication isn't working anymore.
"You can see when he's lashing out that he's terrified. He's terrified of his actions, his emotions. He just has no control over them. He's never been told or taught how to control them or how to express them.
"He's still in nappies. He has no way of communicating with us. He has thyroid issues, hearing issues. He has multiple complex needs but unfortunately he is getting no support for any of them.
"When he was in a private ASD school, they put lots of work into him. They changed his life for the three years that he was there. Now, his new school can't achieve what they want to achieve with him because they don't have the support there. He needs a two to one ratio. They can't meet his needs."
Dylan's brother Killian is also eager to help in any way he can. He has even asked his principal if the school has room for his younger brother.
A lack of support and services is having an impact on the whole family making it impossible for them to all enjoy quality time together.
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Julieann said: "Killian always puts other people before himself. He has even gone to his principal and asked why they can't make a space for his brother to go to school.
"He's said that he wants to be able to communicate with his brother. He loves his brother. They have the love-hate relationship that all brothers have. At the end of the day if Dylan needed him, he'd be there.
"He'd give up his last packet of crisps if it meant he was happy.
"I know I'm trying my best for my son but you can't not have the feeling that you're failing him. When he's upset, hugging him causes him even more distress. As a mother, you have to sit back and watch your child be in pain, frightened and scared. There's nothing we can do about that.
"It's heart-breaking to think that.
"We've been turned down multiple times for home help and respite. We can't do anything as a family unless we can find a situation that meets Dylan's needs. We need to do things separately. My husband would have to go off with Killian or he would stay at home with Dylan while I go off with Killian."
Julieann stressed that her situation is not unique and there are countless other families struggling to cope.
She said: "Other parents are in similar situations like myself. We need the Government to step up. The kids are our country's future. Just because they don't fit into the ideal box that our Government thinks they should fit into, they're just kind of forgotten about. They are seen as a little bit of a hassle."
The Department of Education told Dublin Live that they will be investing 25% of their budget into the area of special educational needs support.
They stressed that the numbers of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are currently at unprecedented levels.
Their model is driven by the needs of the child with most children remaining in mainstream classes.
A spokesman said: "Where a suitable school placement cannot be found for a child, a grant is paid to the parent so they can employ a teacher to provide tuition in the home. It is intended as a short term measure while a school placement is being sought.
"The provision of health related supports, for example, speech and language therapies are provided by the HSE."
Dublin Live have also contacted the HSE for comment.
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