BUENA PARK – Nine months ago, the Lehanes left family, careers and their home in Ireland behind in hopes their autistic son could find help at a special school here. Hugh and Edel Lehane traded their comfortable Dublin lifestyle for a one-bedroom apartment in Buena Park and visitors' visas that don't allow them to work. They live on a dwindling savings account and the progress they see in their 5-year-old son, who has gone from uttering one or two words at a time to speaking in full sentences.

But all that progress could end in two weeks.

On Oct. 7, the Lehanes' visas will expire, sending them back to a land where they say services for children like Matthew are virtually nonexistent. They are devastated at the possibility Matthew might be yanked from the program they say is changing his life.

"If Matthew was to go home, it would be disastrous," said Hugh Lehane, Matthew's father. "If they keep working on him he really has a strong chance of being able to enter back into school at his own age level." Before he entered the Speech and Language Development Center, Matthew seemed to be disappearing into his own little world. Since he enrolled at the school, his comprehension, communication and social skills have skyrocketed, the first signs of real improvement in years. His parents are now able to communicate with their only child, who had been turning into something of a mystery back home.

The Lehanes want nothing more than for their son to continue moving forward, but it's not entirely up to them.

Immigration law allows people to enter the United States for a variety of reasons, provided they meet certain qualifications. Some visas, for example, are granted for up to 10 years and allow the recipients to work, said Kathryn Terry, an immigration attorney in Orange who is not working for the Lehanes.

"There are methods for them to get legal here," Terry said. "You've got to be creative." Options include applying to live here as a student, an investor, a religious worker or a musician, Terry said. But some of those require the applicant to have an academic degree, a corporation to transfer from or a sponsor, none of which Hugh or Edel Lehane have. Other options require money. For example, enough funds to operate a new business here. That's also a problem for the Lehanes, who have spent half their savings on living expenses here, including their $900-a-month apartment. In Ireland, Hugh Lehane worked as a musician and Edel Lehane as a free-lance journalist.

Despite the challenges, Terry said she believes the Lehanes' chances of staying here are good.

Still, there are some pretty big hurdles to clear.

"If they have no relatives, an unskilled laborer with no one to petition, it's more difficult," said Ron Rogers, a spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. "If they possess a special skill or have a relative living here, it's a lot easier." The Lehanes are hopeful but realistic. They are willing to do whatever it takes to keep their son in school.

"Matthew has changed so much," Hugh Lehane said. "It's like magic at this place. ... It sounds too good to be true."

The Lehanes spent hundreds of hours in Ireland searching fruitlessly for a school for Matthew. They struggled for three years before stumbling on the Speech and Language Development Center while visiting Los Angeles in January.

"We'd go around the campus saying, 'Yes, we were right,' " said Hugh Lehane, describing the couple's reaction at seeing kids like Matthew who were getting help – and succeeding.

"It would be different if there were some services in Ireland," Hugh Lehane said. "It's like we're in the dark ages. There's been so many years of cumulative neglect of special-needs services." In Ireland, teachers qualified to deal with special-needs kids are scarce, Hugh Lehane said. Also, government funding for special-education services falls far short of the need, translating into a lack of schools.

In the last 47 years, thousands of children at the private Speech and Language Development Center have received schooling and therapy for disabilities ranging from speech problems to severe autism. Many students are referred to the school through public school districts, which are required by law to educate kids with special needs.

Matthew has been on a scholarship since he began attending classes here, which costs the center approximately $115 a day. Matthew's scholarship is not intended to be long term, said Muff Elstran, director of community relations at the center. The money to help families with special circumstances comes from fund raising.

The Lehanes have talked with lawmakers and are working with an immigration attorney who they hope can help make their case. Soon.

"We want to stay as long as we can," Hugh Lehane said. "There's nothing like this at home."