My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools, which have enrolled students with special educational needs, including students with specific speech and language disorder (SSLD), in order to ensure that wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have access to an appropriate education.
The enrolment of a child in a school is a matter, in the first instance, for the parents of the child and the Board of Management of a school. Accordingly, it is a matter for parents to enrol their child, by applying in writing, to the school/s of their choice.
The criteria for enrolment in a Special Class for students with SSLD are set out in my Department's Circular 0038/2007. A full-time teacher is assigned to each class, and classes operate with a reduced pupil-teacher ratio of 7:1. A minimum number of five eligible students is required for a school to retain a SSLD class. Eligible pupils may spend up to two years in such classes.
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. The NCSE welcomes expressions of interest from schools in opening special classes to meet the demand for special class provision. The opening of a Speech and Language class is, however, contingent on the HSE being in a position to provide Speech and Language therapy to the students in the class.
In deciding on the location of a special class, SENOs take into account both the present and the future potential need for special class provision and they must be satisfied that the special class is sustainable and appropriately located. SENOs liaise with relevant professionals in their area to arrive at an informed decision. In order to qualify for enrolment to a special class for Specific Speech and Language Disorder, a Student should meet each of the following criteria:
- The pupil has been assessed by a psychologist on a standardised test of intelligence that places non-verbal or performance ability within the average range or above.
- The pupil has been assessed by a speech therapist on a standardised test of language development that places performance in one or more of the main areas of speech and language development at two standard deviations or more below the mean, or at a generally equivalent level.
- The pupil’s difficulties are not attributable to hearing impairment; where the pupil is affected to some degree by hearing impairment, the hearing threshold for the speech-related frequencies should be 40Db;
- Emotional and behavioural disorders or a physical disability are not considered to be primary causes.
- Pupils with speech and language delays and difficulties are not to be considered under this category.
- In the case of specific speech and language disorder it is a pupil's non-verbal or performance ability that must be within the average range or above. (i.e. non-verbal or performance IQ of 90, or above).
- The pupil must also have been assessed by a speech and language therapist and found to be at two or more standard deviations (S.D.) below the mean, or at a generally equivalent level (i.e. - 2 S.D. or below, at or below a standard score of 70) in one or more of the main areas of speech and language development.
Two assessments, a psychological assessment and a speech and language assessment are necessary.
The enrolment of pupils in an SSLD special class is managed locally by an Admissions & Discharges Committee, comprising the Speech and Language Therapy Manager, Speech and Language Therapist, Class Teacher and Principal.
Students who are not enrolled in a special class for SSLD and who meet the criteria for Specific Speech and Language Disorder, as outlined in Circular 0038/2007, may qualify for additional teaching support under the new Model for allocation of Special Education Teaching Support provision introduced to all mainstream primary and post primary schools in September last.
While the specific information requested by the Deputy is not available, in the 2016/17 school year, there were 10,203 students with a diagnosis of SSLD; 451 attending special classes for SSLD; 21 attending special schools and 9,731 were in receipt of additional teaching support allocated to mainstream schools by the NCSE, for low incidence special educational needs.
Questions relating to the provision of speech and language therapy through the HSE primary care service should be addressed to my colleague the Minister for Health.
Students with mild speech and language difficulties may also qualify for supplementary teaching support from within the school's SEN Teaching Allocation, previously the general allocation of learning support/teaching support for high incidence special educational needs. It is a matter for individual schools to use their professional judgment 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 students.
