Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
396. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education and Skills the specific provision made for children with autistic spectrum disorders and the number of places available in autistic spectrum disorder units in mainstream schools and in special schools at primary and secondary school level in Waterford city and county, by school, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24565/16]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that this Government is committed to ensuring that all children with Special Educational Needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network.
Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational interventions, delivered by fully qualified professional teachers, with the support of Special Needs Assistants and the appropriate school curriculum.
There are approximately 14,000 students with ASD in the school system:
- 63% are educated in mainstream classes
- 23% are educated in special classes in mainstream primary and post-primary schools; and
- 14% are educated in special schools. In respect of children with ASD who cannot be accommodated in mainstream education, they may be enrolled in special classes or special schools where more intensive and supportive interventions are provided.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has advised my officials that although they maintain a record of the number of students with autism enrolled in special schools, they do not record whether these students are educated in separate ASD class groupings or in groupings with other students within different categories of special educational needs. This enables special schools to create flexible class settings for students with ASD.
The NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports, including the establishment of special classes in various geographical areas as required. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.
Progress in developing this network has been significant and in addition to the special school placements there are currently over 1,000 special classes throughout the country at primary and post primary level of which 762 are for children with Autism.
The NCSE recently published a list of special classes for the 2016/17 school year. In total there will be 1,153 special classes available next year, which is an increase of over 100% in the number of special classes which were available in 2011, which was 548.
The NCSE has advised that for the current school year there will be 127 early intervention classes, 525 primary ASD classes and 237 post-primary ASD classes, which represents an increase of approx. 16% on 2015/16 classes for children with autism.
Of these, there will be 19 ASD classes in Co. Waterford, including 3 Early Intervention Classes for children who are not yet school going age, 10 primary school classes and 6 at post primary level in mainstream schools. 4 of these classes are new classes due to open in September 2016, 1 Early Intervention Class and 3 classes at primary level.
The NCSE continues to monitor and review the requirement for special class places in particular areas and has capacity to establish such new special classes where necessary subject to the willingness of schools to open classes.
Details of all special classes for children with special educational needs , including those in Co. Waterford, are available on www.ncse.ie in county order, with new classes identified.
