A teenage girl has opened up about missing her Leaving Certificate exams due to stress over looking after her three siblings who have autism.
Young carer Kyra Mania, 18, has been looking after her siblings since the age of seven alongside her parents Mandie and Guido - who have both given up work to care for their kids.
The Roscommon girl has told how she struggled with anxiety while doing the Junior Certificate.
And after the exams, she decided not to finish school so she can look after twin siblings Max and Emmy, six, and brother Luca, 12 - who all have severe autism and are non-verbal.
Kyra claims the Government couldn't provide adequate help when the family needed it while she was studying in school.
She said: "I left school when I did the Junior Cert. I was really stressed out and I couldn’t really cope.
"When mum asked for help with home respite when I was studying, they didn’t really have any answers, I was told I could move out which wasn’t really an option for me."
Despite not doing the Leaving Cert, Kyra is hoping to make it to college as she's taking part in a National Learning Network course.
The Government now provides one day of respite care for the family.
And although she's working hard being a carer and studying, the one day off a week allows Kyra, her parents and her second eldest brother Ryli to enjoy some days out together.
She told the Irish Sun: "At the moment, we get one evening respite on Tuesday nights, and Max, Emmy and Luca stay the night.
"That’s the only night of the week where we feel like a normal family, where we can do normal family stuff.
"We go on days out, and we spend time together as a family but we’re so tired by the time Tuesday night comes around."
