I propose to take Questions Nos. 358 to 362, inclusive, together.
The Deputy will be aware that the establishment of a network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country has been a key educational priority in recent years and supports my Department's policy to provide for children with special educational needs, including autism, to be included in mainstream schools unless such a placement would not be in their best interests or the interests of the children with whom they are to be educated. Some children may be supported in a special class attached to a mainstream school and others with more complex needs that they are best placed in a special school. The Model A document referred to by the Deputy became outdated in that it refers to specific models of provision. I do not have a specific date from which the prescribed model became outdated.
Details on the numbers of early intervention classes for children with autism who use ABA are not available as this information, while available in individual schools, has not been collated by my Department. However this does not suggest that schools are not compliant with my Department's child centred approach to the education of children with autism. The Board of Management has a formal role under the Education Act to ensure that all Departmental policies are adhered to in their individual schools. Schools are supported in this regard by NEPS and the Inspectorate who have a formal role in evaluating, advising and supporting schools.
Support is also provided to teachers, through the Special Education Support Service (SESS), who provide continuing professional development in a range of autism specific interventions, including Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), the Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) and the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).
As outlined in my previous response, SESS has a number of teams involved in the provision of CPD and support to teachers of students with challenging behaviour; the Challenging Behaviour Team, the Autism Team and the Contemporary Applied Behaviour Analysis Team. I am satisfied that the SESS are making appropriate provision to support teachers and schools in this area. I should also point out that SESS is a support service for teachers and is not involved in the supervision of the implementation of ABA.
My Department is conscious of the need to adapt existing policies and to develop new policies as new research or learning becomes available. Further to encouragement from the Ombudsman for Children and mindful that greater clarity on my Department's policy on the education of children with autism would be useful for schools and parents, my Department commenced collating a statement of existing policy last year. Subsequently given that the National Council for Special Education has a formal role under Section 20.1(j) of EPSEN to advise the Minister in relation to any matter relating to the education of children and others with disabilities I requested the NCSE to prepare Policy Advice on the Educational Provision for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
The NCSE has advised that the policy advice will be delivered in the spring of 2015 and will draw upon findings gathered from an extensive consultation process which has already commenced. In this context I have forwarded the two pieces of research previously referred to by the Deputy to the NCSE. I expect that the NCSE final report will reflect the broadest possible range of views and provide recommendations which will assist the development of policy for future years.