Ardfinnan scholar Cara Darmody ‘smashed it’ in the recent state examinations, as the 12-year-old scored 97% in her Leaving Certificate Maths exam. The Tipperary student undertook the challenge to highlight the obstacles and barriers that exist in Ireland for people with autism, as both her brothers have a severe form of the disorder.
Her Leaving Cert Maths achievement isn’t the first time Cara’s been in the headlines for her academic achievements, as last year the then-11-year-old became the youngest person to ever sit the Junior Cert Maths examination. A fundraiser run by her father Mark has raised over €55,000, all to go towards Ardfinnan NS, and Scoil Chormaic Special School in Cashel, where Cara’s brothers Neil and John attend.
Speaking after she got her results, Ms Darmody said she was ‘humbled’ and was grateful for all the support she had received. A busy time for the young girl, she started her first day in secondary school in Loreto Convent in Clonmel on the same day she got her Leaving Cert Maths result.
AN ‘INSPIRATION’
Speaking with RTÉ, Cara’s mother Noelle says that in the 500 hours that Cara and Mark spent studying for the exam, that she heard ‘a lot of sighing coming from the dining room’, but that ultimately, it was worth the struggle.
“I’m delighted, over the moon for them. It was a huge undertaking, and on her achievements I’m so, so proud. Her two brothers are both non-verbal, they have level three autism and a lot of challenges. There’s a lot of families in the same boat that we’re in, a lot of people cannot access services, there isn’t private services there. Then you’ve the questions, who do you book, what service is right for your child. I’m so, so proud of her that she decided to help somebody else, and she took on such a massive undertaking.
“I’m in absolute awe of my own child, she’s an inspiration to everybody.”
CAMPAIGNING
The challenges she has set herself sits alongside her continual campaigning to politicians. In November last year, she was the youngest witness to appear at an Oireachtas committee, where she told politicians gathered that “My brothers Neil and John have been treated disgracefully and I am here to stand up for them. I am also here to stand up for the almost 18,000 children who have been left to rot on waiting lists.”
In the same committee meeting she criticised political inaction.
“Living with severely autistic brothers is really hard. Neil will hit and bite himself daily. He cries an awful lot. Mam and Dad do everything they can to keep him happy, but the lack of services has ruined his life. I should not have to witness violence each day. It is surely not wrong of me to ask politicians and the HSE just to do their jobs. If I can sit a Leaving Certificate subject at 12 years of age for free, why can everyone else not do the jobs they are paid to do?
“Please treat this like a crisis. When this meeting ends, the members will all probably say to me something like, ‘Hope you have a nice week’. I will not. When I go home, I will have to witness Neil’s violence. Unless the committee does something about this crisis, many other families will suffer the same fate as us. I thank everyone for listening.”
