Noel Dempsey
Ceist:65 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for Education if she will change her policy in relation to support for the provision of dyslexia support centres in areas throughout the country. [19631/96]
Written Answers. - Dyslexia Support Centres.
My intention for the present is to continue concentration of available resources on the development of school based strategies for children with specific learning difficulty.
The educational needs of pupils with specific learning difficulty (dyslexia) are generally capable of being met within the ordinary school system, with the assistance, where appropriate, of a remedial teacher and, in the case of post primary pupils, guidance counsellors and subject teachers.
Where more serious cases of difficulty arise, provision is made in one of four special schools dedicated to this area. Three of these schools are located in Dublin and one in Cork.
In the current year, I have established a pilot support unit for children with specific learning difficulties in a primary school in north County Dublin. I will be keeping the operation of this pilot unit under close review.
The White Paper on Education sets out a range of measures aimed at ensuring early detection and intervention where children with special educational needs are concerned. The fundamental objective is to ensure, to the maximum possible extent, that children with special needs will have access to suitably resourced education services in their own area. To this end, the White Paper provides for a continuum of provision ranging from specialised back-up services for children attending ordinary schools, to the provision of special facilities dedicated to children with more serious needs.
The needs of children with specific learning disabilities will be addressed within the comprehensive range of measures set out in the White Paper.