I fully recognise the importance of ensuring that teachers dealing with special needs children, including children with autism, receive the necessary training to enable them to address the special needs involved; my intention is that this will be the case.
At the level of pre-service training, the existing full-time programmes of pre-service teacher training in the colleges of education contain appropriate elements to assist the student teachers in recognising and dealing with children with special needs.
Review groups were set up in 1999 in my Department to examine pre-service teacher education programmes for primary and post-primary teachers. The group for each area is required to have regard to developments in relation to catering for children with special needs. The reports of both groups are due to be completed later this year.
However, since only a relatively small number of teachers at primary and post-primary level will work with pupils who present with autism, it would not be considered practical to amend the pre-service teacher training syllabus for this purpose. It is considered that it would be best to meet their training needs through the provision of specialised courses for teachers through in-career development courses
A substantial range of in-career development courses is provided annually for teachers involved in remedial and special education who educate pupils with special needs. The range of courses include supports to individual teachers and groups of teachers to attend specific courses relating to the teaching of children with autism, and support for seminars and conferences for the teachers concerned. The other more general remedial and special education courses also benefit teachers of children with autism.
An induction course was held in January last for the teachers of special classes for pupils with autism. This course will be made available to all other teachers of special classes for children with autism during the current year. Plans have recently been approved for specialist training for resource teachers who work in mainstream post-primary schools with pupils with autism and other special needs; implementation of these plans is due to commence this autumn.
The issue of appropriate and planned provision for children with autism and other special needs at both primary and post-primary levels, including training for teachers, classroom assistants and resource teachers, is currently being considered by the Special Education Planning Group established in my Department. This group has been charged with bringing forward recommendations for arrangements which should be put in place to ensure the most effective provision of a high quality integrated service for all students with disabilities at all stages of the education system.
