Vol. 561 No. 3
134 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department or NEPS has received a report on a person (details supplied) in County Cork which recommends that they receive learning support as a matter of urgency; if this report was available since 9 October 2002; the reason no such support has been made available; the action he has taken or intends to take on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4237/03]
A psychological report on the person mentioned by the Deputy was supplied to his school during the autumn term 2002. The principal of the school then applied to my Department's special education section for resource teaching hours that would be additional to any learning support already available in the school. Criteria governing eligibility for the allocation of such resource hours are outlined in Circular 8/02. The data supplied in the psychological report were not in line with these criteria and therefore the extra resource hours have not been allocated to the person. However, he may be able to avail of the existing learning support service in the school.
135 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department or NEPS has received a report on a person (details supplied) in County Cork which recommends that they receive learning support as a mater of urgency; if this report was available since 9 October 2002; the reason no such support has been made available; the action he has taken or intends to take on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4238/03]
A psychological report on the person mentioned by the Deputy was supplied to his school during the autumn term 2002. The princi pal of the school then applied to my Department's special education section for resource teaching hours that would be additional to any learning support already available in the school. Criteria governing eligibility for the allocation of such resource hours are outlined in Circular 8/02. The data supplied in the psychological report were not in line with these criteria and therefore the extra resource hours have not been allocated to the person. However, he may be able to avail of the existing learning support service in the school.
Question No. 136 answered with Question No. 128.
137 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science the funding made available by his Department to enable children to be assessed to discover if special needs supports are warranted; the limits with regard to numbers per school eligible for such assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4240/03]
My Department's Estimates for 2003 include provision of €13,785,000 for the general running costs of the National Educational Psychological Service. The work of NEPS psychologists includes the assessment of children for whom extra resources may be necessary to meet their special needs. The funding for NEPS includes provision for the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments. This enables schools that do not yet have access to the NEPS service to commission assessments from private practitioners.
In order to ensure equitable access to the available funding, schools that do not yet have access to the NEPS service may initially commission the number of assessments indicated in the attached table. If a school has used its allocation and feels that there is another child who is genuinely in need of assessment, then the principal may apply in writing to NEPS outlining the case for the assessment.
Schools without a NEPS service
|
Number of pupils |
Number ofassessments |
|
1 – 50 |
1 |
|
51 – 100 |
2 |
|
101 – 150 |
3 |
|
151 – 200 |
4 |
|
201 – 250 |
5 |
|
251 – 300 |
6 |
|
301 – 350 |
7 |
|
351 – 400 |
8 |
|
401 – 500 |
10 |
|
501 +continuing with an additional 2 assessments per 100 students |
12 |
138 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science the private agencies or educational psychologists whose reports, indicating that primary school children are in need of resource teachers or other special learning supports, are recognised and accepted by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4241/03]
My Department considers the findings in reports supplied by psychologists employed in the public sector – mainly the national educational psychological service, the health boards and voluntary bodies under the aegis of the health boards. Reports are also considered that have been supplied by members of a panel of psychologists in private practice who are recognised by NEPS as being suitably qualified to administer psychological assessments to children. A small number of reports are also supplied by other psychologists in public sector employment or in private practice.
The provision of resource hours and other learning supports is governed by criteria issued by my Department to schools in the form of Circular letters. My Department's officials will sanction the provision of additional learning supports when the data provided by the psychologists conform with these criteria.
139 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science the measures his Department intends to take to implement the recommendations made by the task force on autism concerning the need to invest significant resources into the development and implementation of early services programmes for children on the autistic spectrum in its report, Educational Provision and Support for Persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, of 9 October 2001. [4254/03]
140 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science the appropriate educational services which are currently made available to pre-school children with autistic spectrum disorder from point of diagnosis. [4255/03]
141 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department has plans to institute a nation-wide pre-school educational service for children with autism. [4256/03]
142 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department will make extra funding available to the development and implementation of early services programmes for children on the autistic spectrum in view of the markedly inadequate state of early intervention for children with autistic spectrum disorder here as revealed by the task force on autism in its October 2001 report, Educational Provision and Support for Persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. [4257/03]
144 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department intends to undertake measures to significantly increase the limited number of specialised pre-school places available to children with autistic spectrum disorder. [4259/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 to 142, inclusive, and No. 144 together.
Provision for children of pre-school age with autistic spectrum disorders is generally made available through the relevant health authority. My Department's involvement in provision for such children is currently confined to a small number of special pre-school class units attached to primary schools. The task force on autism has put forward a range of important recommendations ranging from the identification of prevalence rates and arranging early intervention, through issues relating to diagnosis and assessment, the central role of parents, the required models of educational and health care inputs and the need for specialist training for service providers to structural, constitutional and policy issues.
The scope of the measures proposed by the task force, including its recommendations in relation to early childhood support services, is such as to require a multi-faceted response involving education and health service inputs. To date, the focus of my Department has been on advancing the fundamental structural and legislative measures which are necessary to underpin the development and delivery of services for persons with disabilities, including children of pre-school age with autistic spectrum disorders.
A key development on the structural front has been the Government's decision to establish the National Council for Special Education. The council, which will have a local area presence, will play a key role in the development and delivery of services for persons with special needs, including children of pre-school age with autistic spectrum disorders. The council will have a research and advisory role and will establish expert groups to consider specific areas of special needs provision. It will also establish a consultative forum to facilitate inputs from the education partners and other interested parties. The council will employ special needs organisers who will be accessible at local level and will be responsible for ensuring an efficient and effective response to persons with special educational needs, including children of pre-school age with autistic spectrum disorders. Arrangements for the establishment of the council are well advanced. A chief executive officer designate has been appointed and an order to establish the council formally will shortly be brought before the Oireachtas.
143 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department will take immediate measures to ensure that teachers working in pre-school classrooms for children with autistic disorder receive specialised early intervention training and have a defined intervention programme to follow and a treatment outcome evaluation process in place. [4258/03]
Teachers in pre-school classrooms for children with autism have access to the relevant training programmes, which are supported by the in-career development unit of my Department. The training in question is designed to enhance the skills of teachers of children with autism of all ages, including those children benefiting from early intervention initiatives. This training also addresses the matter of appropriate and defined intervention programmes as well as the process of evaluating the progress made by each individual child.
Question No. 144 answered with Question No. 139.
