It is the policy of my Department that all teachers working with children with special education needs, including children with attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity will have relevant training. In recent years, there has been a major increase in the level of additional teaching resources made available to schools to cater for children with special educational needs, including children with ADD and ADHD. These additional staffing appointments bring with them the need for additional training in all aspects of special educational provision and this is being addressed on an ongoing basis.
Through the colleges of education, my Department funds a range of post-graduate and induction programmes designed to address the additional knowledge and skills that teachers may require in catering for the children in question. Local courses are also provided through the education centres network and these include courses specifically on ADD an ADHD. In addition, my Department recently provided funding for 135 teachers who participated in an e-learning summer course on ADD and ADHD. This innovative course was made available throughout the months of July and August 2002.
The existing full-time programmes of pre-service teacher training – primary – in the colleges of education contain appropriate elements to assist the student teachers in recognising and dealing with children with special needs. Students undertaking the Bachelor of Education Degree or the Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary Teaching) in St. Patrick's and Mary Immaculate colleges of education now follow a course module on special education. This module covers the broad range of issues in special education. In the Church of Ireland and Coláiste Mhuire, Marino colleges of education, particular attention is paid to special needs and learning difficulties arising from various factors under method studies in English and mathematics. In the case of the Froebel College of Education, students have a course module under remedial work. This deals with learning difficulties arising from special needs.