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Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 February 2014

Thursday, 13 February 2014

Questions (117, 118)

Terence Flanagan

Question:

117. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to include Down's syndrome as a low-incidence disability so that it qualifies for resource teaching hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7429/14]

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Terence Flanagan

Question:

118. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of including Down's syndrome as a low-incidence disability so that it qualifies for resource teaching hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7430/14]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 118 together. I wish to firstly explain to the Deputy that, regardless of the manner in which the resource hours are allocated to schools, resource teaching/learning support is available for all pupils with Down syndrome. I wish to explain also that pupils with Down syndrome attending mainstream schools may receive additional teaching support in primary schools, either under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, if the pupil's educational psychological assessment places the pupil in the mild general learning disability/high incidence disability category, or through an allocation of individual additional resource teaching hours which are allocated by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), if the child is assessed as being within the low incidence category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. Pupils with Down syndrome may therefore be allocated resources under the category of mild general learning disability, or under the categories of moderate general learning difficulty or Assessed Syndrome, in conjunction with another Low Incidence disability. There is not currently a distinct disability category of Down syndrome for resource allocation purposes. As such, it is not possible to advise of the number of children with Down syndrome who will be attending school for the 2013/14 school year and accordingly my Department is not in a position to cost the inclusion of Down Syndrome as a low incidence disability. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a formal role under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, 2004 in advising me in relation to any matter relating to the education of children and others with disabilities. My Department requested that the NCSE consider the issue of whether Down Syndrome should be reclassified as a low incidence disability in all instances, regardless of assessed cognitive ability, in the context of its preparation of comprehensive advice on how the educational system supports children with special educational needs in schools. The NCSE report on Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs in Schools has now been published and is available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie. The report recommends that under the new resource allocation model proposed by the NCSE in its report, children should be allocated additional resources in line with their level of need, rather than by disability category. The NCSE has recommended that in the short-term, pupils with Down syndrome who are in the Mild General Learning Disability (Mild GLD) category should continue to be supported by schools' Learning Support allocation in the same way as other pupils with a Mild GLD. The NCSE policy advice did not recommend that an exception should be made for children with Down syndrome who are in the Mild GLD range, over other children who are in the mild range and who also may have other co-morbid conditions. However, the NCSE report states that it is confident that the introduction of a new allocation model will overcome the difficulty posed by all children with mild general learning disabilities, including children with Down syndrome, who have additional difficulties and who can be supported according to their level of need and in line with their learning plan process. In the meantime, schools are reminded that they can differentiate the level of learning support granted to ensure that available resources are used to support children in line with their needs. The NCSE has established a Working Group to develop a proposal for consideration for a new Tailored Allocation Model, which is set out as one of the principal recommendations of the report. I understand that the Working Group will report its findings before the end of spring 2014.

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