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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 Mar 1999

Vol. 502 No. 3

Other Questions. - Special Educational Needs.

Denis Naughten

Question:

37 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science if a circular in relation to children with special needs has been issued by his Department; if he will ensure that information covering the needs of these children for psychological services, technical aid and equipment, speech therapy, transport services, childcare assistance and remedial teaching is included; and if information on the availability of these services will be returned to his Department in order that a proper picture of unmet needs can be developed for these children. [8169/99]

The Deputy will be aware that the Government has over the past year put in place a range of policies which are already radically improving the special education services. Arising from my announcement of new additional teaching and childcare supports, appointments are being made on an ongoing basis and are benefiting children and schools in all parts of the country.

My Department is currently finalising three circulars and an accompanying information note to advise schools on recent developments in support services for children with special needs and how schools may avail of these new developments. The circulars and information note are expected to issue to schools in the near future. They will provide guidance to schools on the procedures to be adopted in applying for full-time or part-time teaching support for children with disabilities, in applying for full-time or part-time childcare support for children with disabilities, in applying for the establishment of a special class for pupils with disabilities, and in seeking the appointment of a resource teacher for children of the travelling community.

My Department is also finalising information booklets on the ordinary school transport service and the special school transport service which caters for children with disabilities attending special schools and special classes attached to mainstream schools. Arrangements are already in place whereby school authorities may apply to my Department for funding for specialised equipment for pupils with special educational needs.

I recently announced my decision to extend the remedial teacher service to every first and second level school which is currently without the service. This extension of the service will take place from September next. In March 1998 my Department notified all primary schools of the approach to be adopted in identifying pupils requiring a remedial teacher service.

Speech therapy services are generally provided through the relevant health authority. However, schools seeking such a service may make an application through my Department which will liaise with the relevant health authority regarding the provision of the necessary service.

I recently announced the establishment of a national educational psychological service. As part of this development, I have arranged for the appointment of an additional 25 psychologists to the service in the current year. It is intended that the service will eventually become an independent statutory agency with approximately 200 psychologists. Information on the availability of this service is being provided to schools as the service develops.

Will the Minister respond to the second part of my question regarding the Department getting a proper picture of the unmet needs in relation to the services for children with special needs? For example, according to the study on remedial education, of which the Minister is aware, pupils in 30 per cent of disadvantaged schools need support in English and 85 per cent of those who need support in mathematics are not receiving adequate attention or any remedial service. Will the Minister ensure that the Department gets a proper picture of the requirements of children with special needs in primary and secondary schools?

We assisted with the Ahead group, for example, who conducted a comprehensive survey of second level schools to establish a database of children with special needs and that is nearing completion. We have commissioned a survey at primary level to obtain a picture of all outstanding needs. The Government announced last November that it was giving an automatic staffing entitlement to each child with special needs, both in terms of resource teaching and child care assistance. We are now implementing that and it has made a significant difference. We have already appointed 33 additional resource teachers and an additional 156 child care assistants on foot of that decision.

People have applied to the special education section of the Department which is under pressure because of the number of applications. That is to be expected because of people applying reasonably quickly after the decision was announced. It is the first time child care assistants have been appointed to national schools for children with special needs, a policy such as this has been implemented and resources provided for it. We have committed ourselves to issuing circulars to every school to make them aware of how they can qualify for these additional teaching and child care assistants.

Has the Minister a view on the refusal of his Department to recognise attention deficit disorder, the needs of children who have been diagnosed as suffering from it and the difficulties of their parents, some of whom have written to me? Has the Minister or his Department any proposals to recognise the disorder and to provide assistance in schools to children suffering from it? Given that three circulars are imminent, is a set of definitions of special needs likely to emanate from the Department?

It is not correct to say we do not recognise the existence of attention deficit disorder. The degree of research on it in this country is not what one would like and we are dependent on international experience of the matter. I have met with various groups representing parents of children with attention deficit disorder. I recognise it and am anxious to make additional provision for it in the context of the remedial service. There are now more than 1,300 remedial teachers in the system. The recent evaluation of the remedial service highlights the need to expand and reform the service in terms of the degree to which it focuses on and targets those with greatest need and avoids a broad brush approach.

Regarding definitions, the SERC report in the early 1990s supplied definitions and categorised a variety of but not all special needs. In terms of learning difficulties which are now emerging, in our package announced last November we allowed for students with attention deficit disorder or severe dyslexia to be covered by that initiative. However, I acknowledge we have more to do in terms of learning difficulties.

I welcome the fact the Minister recognises the condition. The parents of children suffering from it would like such recognition to take the shape of remedial assistance and funding. What message has the Minister for the parents of such children? When will children with the condition receive the necessary assistance to support their parents' best efforts?

If the Deputy is referring to a specific case, I would appreciate it if he would bring it to my attention. As of November, we have given automatic entitlements to children with special needs. We are appointing additional remedial teachers and next September every school will have access to a remedial resource. It is unfortunate and regrettable that it will take until September 1999 for every primary school to have access to a remedial resource. The message I wish to give parents is that as and from next September there will be access to remedial teaching resources which will help the children Deputy Higgins described as requiring additional assistance. An additional 600 posts will be created from next September, a significant additional provision. An additional 25 psychologists will also be appointed this year. The establishment of the National Psychological Agency will make a significant difference to the lives of parents, one of whose major complaints for a long time has been the lack of a nationwide psychological service.

My difficulty is that if a question mark is placed over the definition of a condition by the Minister's officials – one must query how additional remedial teachers will be trained to deal with that – will affected children be left in the same position?

I accept the remedial service needs to be reformed. In-service training will have a central role to play, especially in terms of modules on children with specific learning difficulties. A great deal must be done in that regard. It is also important that the pre-service teacher training programme has special education as part of its specific terms of reference.

(Carlow-Kilkenny): While I welcome the appointment of resource teachers and special school class attendants, is there a backlog because the cart was put before the horse some years ago when disadvantaged children were told to attend their local schools and no appointments were made? I met a teacher on one occasion with two children in her classroom who needed special help. There were more children with special needs in her class than there were in three of the schools to which the Minister is allocating six teachers because of a mad promise he made before the election. She had no help for two children with disabilities. Has the Department dealt with the backlog and, if not, how long will it take to provide assistance to teachers who accepted children with disabilities into their classrooms in the past? Some 33 resource teachers have been appointed. Will the Minister indicate the number of applications for assistance?

I can check that figure for the Deputy. Some 33 resource teachers and 156 child care assistants have been appointed since November. Applications have been received and are being assessed.

(Carlow-Kilkenny): Has the Minister dealt with the original backlog where children with disabilities were told to attend normal classes?

No. Many of the schools affected did not apply and the purpose of the circulars is to address that. Some school principals have not applied in respect of certain children. A process of education for school boards of management needs to be conducted in this regard. I tell people concerned with this matter who I meet that they are entitled to additional assistance and should apply for it. That is the purpose of the circular and the information note. It will take some time before every case is dealt with. It would not be expected that we would have dealt with it in three months. Great work has been done by the special education section of the Department which is working flat out to respond to all applications.

Does the Minister agree that part of the reason some principals did not apply was that there was such a backlog for psychological assessment many parents obtained private assessments because they knew that was the only way their children could be assessed? Will the Minister ensure the support for students with special needs taking exams will be reviewed? On the last occasion the Minister replied to questions I gave an example of a dyslexic student who has been refused support even though two private psychologists stated the child suffered from dyslexia. The Department psychologist states the child is only suffering from anxiety. This is the type of case which has arisen. Does the Minister agree this is the cause of much anxiety for such students? Will the Minister ensure this is not repeated?

The examination procedures for young people with special needs are under review.

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