Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 October 2014
158. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the funding available in her Department to assist families in assisting children with dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37311/14]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that all schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including Specific Learning Disability (SLD), of which dyslexia is one such Specific Learning Disability.
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 SLDs. It is a matter for individual schools to use their professional judgement to identify pupils who will receive this support and to use the resources available to the school to intervene at the appropriate level with such pupils. Schools are supported in this regard by the National Educational Psychological Services.
All Post Primary schools have also been allocated additional teaching resources for pupils with high incidence special educational needs, including SLDs.
My Department has provided guidelines for schools in relation to the utilisation of additional teaching resources which have been allocated to them for pupils with high incidence special educational needs. These include Circular SpEd 02/05, Inclusion of Pupils with Special Educational Needs Post Primary Guidelines and the National Edcuational Psychological Services (NEPS) Continuum of Support Guidelines.
My Department 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 SLDs. There are 4 Special Schools and 12 Special Classes attached to mainstream Primary schools catering for pupils with SLD.
An information resource pack on dyslexia in CD-Rom, DVD and video format, has been developed by my Department in association with the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. This product has been made available to all primary and post-primary schools. The DVD and video provides support for parents of pupils with dyslexia while the CD-Rom assists teachers who are teaching children with dyslexia in the mainstream classroom.
Further resources provided to schools to support pupils with dyslexia include special arrangements at state exams, funding towards the purchase of specialised equipment such as computers and/or software as well as additional training for teachers who support children with Dyslexia, through the Special Education Support Service (SESS).
