Finian McGrath
Question:3. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will support full and proper resource hours for children with Down's Syndrome. [12117/13]
View answerThursday, 7 March 2013
Questions (3)
Oral answers (7 contributions)
Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills
Supports for pupils with Down's syndrome are based on the extent of their general learning disability. Pupils with Down's syndrome receive additional teaching support either under the general allocation model in primary schools or equivalent provision in post primary schools if their educational assessments place them in the mild general learning disability category. Pupils with more moderate or severe general learning difficulty or more complex needs are supported through an allocation of individual additional resource teaching hours allocated by the National Council for Special Education.
I have asked the NCSE to provide me with policy advice on the issue of whether Down's syndrome should be reclassified as a low incidence or moderate-to-severe disability in all instances, regardless of assessed cognitive ability. This advice will be included in the NCSE's comprehensive policy advice on how the education system can best support children with special educational needs, which is expected in coming months.
I thank the Minister of State for his response and I welcome the aspects on which he reported in the reply. Is he aware that there are over 2,000 families in Down Syndrome Ireland and most of their children go to either mainstream primary or second level schools? At present, a child with Down's syndrome is put into one of two categories: the mild learning disability or moderate learning disability. A score of 49 or less for moderate learning disability will give one the resource hours. Many parents tell me that when they go to the assessments they hope their child will score 49 or less because they know then they will get the resource hours. Why does a child with Down's syndrome not automatically qualify for resource hours or a special needs assistant to help him or her navigate through the mainstream school? Why must such children fail assessments in order to have a chance of getting the resources they require? Why is a child with Down's syndrome not rewarded for his or her achievements by providing him or her with all the necessary resources and assistance to build on and nurture these achievements? Finally, why is a child with Down's syndrome is not afforded every opportunity to reach his or her full potential and be at his or her best?
Children with Down's syndrome whose level of intellectual disability places them in the mild general learning disability, GLD, range may receive individual resource teaching hours in the same manner as children with other low-incidence disabilities but they receive their support through the general allocation model, GAM. Schools have provision, under the GAM, to allocate and target resources to those children most in need of those resources and also to make the best use of those resources. Although not prescriptive, children with mild GLD will generally receive approximately 2.5 teaching hours per week under the GAM allocation. This provision is reflective of the resource teaching support which is provided for children with mild GLD prior to the introduction of the GAM.
Schools also have a discretion to supplement teaching support under the GAM through shared and group teaching for pupils with greatest need and where a child with Down's syndrome also had a diagnosis of moderate general learning disability and thus received an additional low incidence resource teaching allocation of 3.5 hours, the difference between that provided under the GAM, if the child was receiving 2.5 hours, would be one hour. However, the difference could be less if the school was supplementing teaching support under the GAM through shared and group teaching for pupils.
Can I beg the Ceann Comhairle's indulgence to complete the questions?
Yes.
Historically, the Department allocates resources to support children with special needs on the basis of categories of disabilities but for many years children with special needs were primarily educated in special schools or special classes. These schools and classes were designated as catering for a specific category of disability, but the report of the Special Education Review Committee, SERC, of 1993 made a wide range of recommendations on the level of resources that should be allocated to cater for children in different categories of special needs. The SERC report still provides much of the basis which underpins the current policy and provision.
The disability category set out in the SERC report formed the basis of resource allocations. That report did not identify Down's syndrome as a particular disability category for the allocation of resources and consideration of the categories of disability to be catered for under the GAM based on high incidence or less severe disability was centred mainly on the category of mild general learning disability detailed in the SERC report. I refer the Deputy then to my original reply.
The Minister of State referred to what children with Down's syndrome may receive. In this day and age, that is not acceptable. The rights of children with Down's syndrome should be stronger. Also, as the Minister of State will be aware, the GAM is not one-to-one provision.
I take the Minister of State's point about moderate general learning disability because most parents are reasonably happy about this, but my complaint and that of parents is that the rest of the children with Down's syndrome, particularly the ones who are "good", have more potential to develop if they are given the supports and fantastic work can be done with them. Also, we feel strongly that a child with Down's syndrome in mainstream school will regress if he or she does not get such supports.
The Minister of State will be aware that there are great examples of good practice in the quality of services for Down's syndrome but we need to develop them further and we need to include the right. I ask the Minister of State to prioritise this issue over the next 12 months. It is in the programme for Government. I accept we are in difficult times, but children with disabilities should always be given priority.
I acknowledge the points made by Deputy Finian McGrath. They will be taken on board.