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Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 April 2014

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Questions (186, 216)

Clare Daly

Question:

186. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the fact that the Special Education Support Service advised teachers and his Department that teachers providing applied behaviour analysis as part of the education of a child with autism should receive on-site and off-site supervision from a professionally qualified behaviour analyst and he has confirmed that he has not received any autism-specific policy advice from the NCSE, if he will name the experts or organisations who advised his Department to remove the requirement that teachers should receive supervision or training from a professionally qualified behaviour analyst before taking charge of an autism spectrum disorder classroom from departmental policy when his Department changed its policy in 2006-07. [19164/14]

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Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

216. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason his Department made the decision to remove the obligation on teachers to receive training and or supervision from a professionally qualified behaviour analyst from its policy given that the SESS had advised that teachers should be provided with on and off-site supervision from a behaviour analyst when providing ABA to children with ASD, and the NCSE never provided the his Department with any ASD-specific policy advice. [19672/14]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 186 and 216 together.

Under the Teaching Council Act 2001, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory regulatory authority for the professional registration of teachers. The Council sets standards of entry to the profession and accredits initial teacher education programmes. I am satisfied that primary teachers are qualified to teach in a wide range of school environments including autism units. 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 and does not advise teachers or my Department in this regard. SESS continues to make provision for a comprehensive system of continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers in the area of special educational needs including teachers of children with autism.

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