Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 February 2012
217 Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students with dyslexia who were deemed in 2011 to have a degree of learning disability specific to basic reading, writing or mathematics which places them at or below the second percentile; the number of laptop computers that were provided to students in this category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9232/12]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports. SENOs also make recommendations to my Department where assistive technology is required.
All mainstream Primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model (GAM) to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including Specific Learning Disability (SLD), of which dyslexia is one such SLD. It is a matter for the individual school to use its professional judgement to identify pupils that will receive this support and to use the resources available to the school to intervene at the appropriate level with such pupils. As support for Specific Learning Disability in Primary schools is provided for through the GAM, my Department does not have details of the number of students with dyslexia receiving such support locally through general allocation, at Primary level.
My Department also provides funding for a number of special schools and special classes attached to mainstream primary schools which have been sanctioned to meet the needs of children with SLD, including dyslexia. There are 4 Special Schools and approximately 16 Special Classes attached to mainstream Primary schools catering for pupils with SLD.
In relation to second level pupils with Specific Learning Disability attending mainstream schools, it is open to schools to apply to their local SENO for additional teaching support for such pupils who are assessed as being of average intelligence or higher and having a degree of learning disability specific to basic skills in reading, writing or mathematics which places them at or below the 2nd percentile on suitable, standardised, norm referenced tests. The latest data available from the NCSE show that there were 3,417 pupils in receipt of support for SLD in 2010, at post primary level.
Schools may apply to the NCSE for the provision of assistive technology to support pupils who have been assessed as having a special educational need which requires specific assistive technology support. 108 grants were sanctioned in 2011 in respect of pupils with SLD in Primary and special schools. However, as the applications were sanctioned on the basis of the disability category of SLD, as opposed to specifically for dyslexia, it is not possible to advise how many of these grants were made for students with dyslexia.
Schools who wish to apply for assistive technology support for pupils with special educational needs should contact their local SENO. The list of SENO contact details is available at the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.
