Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 November 2018
36. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to address the acute shortage of ASD classes and services being provided for children in both primary and post-primary education nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49596/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy question is on the provision of ASD supports. What is the Department's plan to address the acute shortage of ASD classes and services being provided for children in both primary and post-primary education?
My Department is aware that the establishment of special class provision in some schools and communities can be challenging. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible, through its network of special needs organisers, SENOs, for the development, delivery and co-ordination of education services to children with special educational needs, including the establishment of special class and special school placements. For the 2018-19 school year, 160 new special classes have been opened. That means there are now 1,459 special classes in place, compared to 548 in 2011. There are 1,196 autism spectrum disorder, ASD, special classes.
The greater proportion of children with autism attend mainstream classes, but some require the environment of a special class or special school. Enrolment in a special class should only be considered where it has been demonstrated that a student requires the support of a special class because he or she is unable to learn effectively in a mainstream class for most or all of the school day, even with appropriate supports. The placement decision is based on a recommendation made by a relevant professional. While it is not always possible or practical that a special class placement would be available in a child’s local school, the NCSE has informed my Department that, in general, it is satisfied that there are sufficient ASD special class placements to meet existing demand nationally.
From time to time, the NCSE identifies local areas where additional 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, when commenced, will assist in addressing this issue in areas where the NCSE is of the opinion that there is insufficient education provision for children with special educational needs. Section 8 of the Act, which will commence from Monday, 3 December 2018, will provide 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.
I thank the Minister. Some of what he said is welcome. I am aware of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, which we debated in the House. My fear is that we again have a situation where children who have an additional need or a disability are falling through the cracks or being left behind. They are being treated differently from children starting in mainstream schools with no additional needs. It is often at the last minute when the parents of children with an additional need finally find out they have secured a place in an ASD unit. There are long waiting lists and we know that they are increasing. A study in 2016 found that one in every 65 students has an ASD diagnosis and, therefore, we are very much playing catch-up in this area.
One of my main concerns is the attitude of schools when it comes to children with a diagnosis of autism. Many schools are good, as are many teachers. There are also, unfortunately, many schools that just do not want to know about ASD and will encourage parents to send their children elsewhere. There is no written proof but we all know that it happens. Kids are put on a reduced-hour day, perhaps two or three hours, with the hope that the parents will eventually just give up on that school and go somewhere else. We need to tackle that attitude as well as tackling the provision of places.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue because we have been grappling with it over the past ten to 15 years. The statistics from 2011 reported 548 special classes. That is now up to nearly 1,459. We are making gains but, at the same time, affording choice to parents has to be at the heart of that provision. I refer to whether they want their children to go to a special school or a special class or if they need ASD provision. The increase in the number of ASD units throughout the country has proved to be a significant success. That is attributable to the great work of the SENOs and the NCSE, as well as the work the Deputies did on the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, which gave the Minister for Education and Skills the power to compel schools, where there is insufficient supply of ASD classes or special classes, to ensure that provision is made.
I agree that where ASD units are operational they are, in the main, successful. That, however, is the reason I raised this issue. Greater access is needed for students. There are many different examples of where that is needed and I am not the only person who could cite examples; every Deputy could probably do so. Some students cannot start school. They have to go to a special school and were supposed to start in September 2018 but they cannot start until September 2019 because of the lack of access. Those students cannot get access to any more pre-school provision because they have used up their two years. That puts a child with an additional need at a disadvantage. Parents are also being told that their children can have a place in an ASD unit but the unit is miles from their home. They will have to spend an hour and a half on a bus before getting to school. That again puts a child at a disadvantage. In the main, that is not the case for children attending school who do not have an additional need and that is what we need to focus on and tackle.
We seem to be okay with treating children who have an additional need differently and saying to them that they have to wait, that they might not be able to start until October because we do not have a place for them and they have to put up with being on the bus for an hour and a half. In my opinion that is not good enough, and I am sure it is the opinion of the vast majority of people. That is why we need to ensure we have places. This was one of the good parts of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. I hope that we will put the pressure on schools that want to turn a blind eye or direct people to the school down the road. That attitude has to change.
I accept the sincerity of the Deputy's contribution on this very important issue. In my early meetings with the officials in this area, I raised the question, even prior to the 3 December change, of compelling schools in cases where there is insufficient supply, a problem with a class or a need for an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, unit. My message to officials from day one has been to look with favour on any building request from a school for an extension which will accommodate an ASD unit and free up another classroom. That is the message coming across from Deputy Funchion as well. It is important to ensure equality of access for parents who want the best standards for their son or daughter. If they want their son or daughter to be in a mainstream school they cannot be disadvantaged. If they do not have a special class or ASD unit they are disadvantaged. That is the philosophy behind compelling the Minister to ensure this happens where there is an insufficient supply.
