The Deputy is aware, the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for the establishment of special classes for autism and for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. I have arranged for the Deputy's request for information to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
My Department's position is that as each child with autism is unique, they should have access to a range of different approaches to meet their individual needs. Applied Behavioural Analysis, or ABA, is one of the methods used in special classes for children with autism.
Advice received from international experts on autism, NEPS and the Inspectorate inform my Department's view that a range of approaches should be used, rather than just one. An analysis of research — including the report of the Irish Task Force on Autism — supports this approach too, while Autism societies in other countries also caution against relying on just one method.
In excess of 250 autism-specific classes have now been approved around the country, and the NCSE will continue to establish autism provision where the need arises.