Vol. 476 No. 5
183 Mr. N. Treacy asked the Minister for Education the Government's and her Department's policy on dyslexia; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that approximately 10 per cent of the nation suffers from this condition; the action, if any, she proposes to take to alleviate this situation; and if she will make a detailed statement on this difficult human situation. [7662/97]
My Department's policy in terms of identifying children with specific learning disability, dyslexia, is in line with the recommendations of the Special Education Review Committee report. Under the recommended criteria it is expected that not more than 2 per cent of the overall pupil population would be found to be in this category.
Estimates of numbers of children with specific learning disability have been put forward by many groups, however, in keeping with the Special Education Review Committee definitions and recommendations my Department will continue to focus assistance on the bottom 1.5 to 2 per cent of the population.
The educational needs of pupils with specific learning disabilities 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. When 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 school year I have established a special support unit for children with specific learning disability in a primary school in north County Dublin. The question of establishing a second such unit in this school is currently under consideration in my Department. Fully qualified primary school teachers are trained to deal with a variety of reading problems, including those which are accompanied by perceptual difficulties. In addition, the special training programme for remedial teachers includes a module on specific learning disability.
My intention for the present is to continue to concentrate available resources on the development of school based strategies for children with specific learning disability. However, I have recently allocated funding as a contribution towards costs incurred by a centre providing tuition for children with specific learning disability. My officials have recently met with representatives of the Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities and I am currently considering a proposal to provide assistance towards its service.
