Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:275. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the distance from Dublin 12 to the nearest school with a designated classroom for students with autism. [6980/19]
View answerTuesday, 12 February 2019
Questions (275)
Written answers
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs including Autism, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive (HSE). This includes the establishment of special class and special school placements in various geographical areas where there is an identified need.
Since 2011, the NCSE has increased the number of special classes from 548 in 2011 to 1,459 across the country now, of which 1,196 are Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) special classes.
The number of ASD special classes in Co. Dublin have increased from 66 in 2011/2012 to 197 in 2018/2019. There are currently 13 ASD special classes in Dublin 12 - 1 ASD early intervention class, 7 primary ASD classes and 5 post primary ASD classes.
Details of all special classes for children with special educational needs are available by county on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie.
From time to time, the NCSE identifies local areas where additional special class provision is required. In those circumstances, SENOs work with the schools and families concerned to resolve the issues involved.
The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 will assist in addressing this issue where the NCSE is of the opinion that there is insufficient education provision for children with special educational needs in an area.
Section 8 of the Act, which commenced on the 3rd of December 2018, provides the Minister with a power, after a process of consultation with the NCSE, the board of management and the patron of the school, to compel a school to make additional provision for the education of children with special educational needs.
Parents/guardians who may need advice or are experiencing difficulties in locating a school placement, including special class placement, should contact their local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) who can assist in identifying an appropriate educational placement for their child. Contact details are available at http://ncse.ie/seno-contact-list.
My Department will continue to support the NCSE in opening ASD special classes in areas where there is an identified need.