Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 February 2023
86. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to the use of the rapid prompting method to assist learning for children with autism who are non-verbal in primary and secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4387/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraQuestion No. 86, in the name of Deputy Ó Murchú, will be taken by Deputy Ó Laoghaire.
The Minister and the Minister of State may have seen reports over the past year, particularly in the Irish Examiner in December, about the situation of Fiacre Ryan, who is quite an inspiring young man of 21 years of age. He became the first non-verbal autistic person in Ireland to write a book. That was possible because he had the use of the rapid prompting method, RPM, which is a technology that helps non-verbal people with autism. Clearly there is potential with this method and parents and many others are encouraging the Department to look at a pilot project.
This was Deputy Ó Murchú's second question. His first question was specifically on Louth but I have no difficulty in taking this one. I met Fiacre Ryan last week, along with his mother. He has written a book, Speechless, which the Deputy is probably aware of. It is incredible for a non-verbal autistic child to write a book. His mother correctly made the point to me that just because someone has autism does not mean they are not intelligent, and he is clearly an extremely intelligent young man. He learned through the method to which the Deputy alludes and about which Deputy Ó Murchú has asked. The Department and the NCSE, however, are of the view that it is important to recognise that students with autism have many different types of needs and that those needs change as they grow and move through the education system, so it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. There can be nuances and variance throughout the system. Over the years advocates of different approaches have spoken to the Department in support of the educational needs of children with autism and they have asked Ministers and the Department of Education to adopt or use those approaches in schools. It is all about what is right for the particular child. It is personal to the children themselves and it depends on what is in their best interests. If RPM works for that child and is of value to that child, it is something that can be used but it does not have to be. There is a wide range of teaching approaches that are employed by class teachers and to support that important work there is the autism good practice guidance, which supports children and young people as a resource for schools and others.
I am glad that the Minister of State is quite familiar with RPM, has had engagement with families on it and can see the benefits of it. That is encouraging. I take the point that you have to cut your cloth to measure and that different children will require different things. No one is suggesting that it will be a silver bullet but a request has been made for a pilot programme to be examined. The Minister of State says it can be used, but this stuff is not free. As things stand, if a child requires RPM and a school believes it is beneficial, will the Department fund it? Is there scope for the Department to fund it as things stand?
This needs to be discussed in more depth with the Department. Officials in the Department are aware of the benefits of RPM but at the same time they say that there is no clear empirical evidence to underpin it and that the guidance suggests that a range of supports may need to be adopted for each child. Schools are not prohibited from using RPM but it will not necessarily be for every child and there are supports available for students who are non-verbal under the assistive technology scheme as well, which the Deputy will be aware of. All schools have access to IT funding to purchase assistive technology and, where necessary, schools may also purchase new or additional equipment or software, which will be more bespoke to a particular child, from existing school resources or funds. Then schools that have children with more complex disabilities can make an application for such equipment to the NCSE.
It seems to me that a discussion needs to happen behind the scenes on this. A pilot would potentially be of benefit. The point about empirical evidence is fair enough but some of that might be down to a lack of research so a pilot might help to establish an evidential basis. The Minister of State can talk about schools being at liberty to use RPM but that is not necessarily to say they have the resources to use it. As I said, these things are not for free. I am glad the Minister of State is taking this on board and is aware of it. I hope that behind the scenes the Department can examine this carefully because in the instance of Fiacre Ryan and many other children and adults across the world, it has had clear benefits.
I would like to come in on this question. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Autism. Fiacre Ryan and his mother, Carmel, presented as witnesses at the committee and talked about and explained this method. I have been contacted by a number of parents and teachers about this method. The Minister of State said that schools are not prohibited from using the method. However, one school was using it and when the inspector visited the school they told it to stop, so schools are being prohibited from using this method. RPM has been used in America for 20 years. It has a proven track record there and it has been used in other jurisdictions as well. It is something that works for children. It was working well in the school in which it was being used, as I have mentioned, but then it was suddenly stopped. It has devastating results if RPM is stopped as it is something that was used by the teacher in the school. It is something that is worth investigating and if it works for children, as it has worked for Fiacre Ryan, it has to be explored in more detail.
My understanding is that RPM is not prohibited in schools. If there is a particular school where there is an issue, perhaps the Deputy could let me or the Department know about it.
RPM encourages those who are struggling to communicate to use techniques that include writing, typing or pointing. Other organisations might have concerns about this method, notwithstanding its successes for some children. The Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists, for example, released a statement in 2017 that outlined its concerns regarding the use of the method. Having said that, I met with Fiacre and Carmel Ryan and spoke with them. It is incredible how Fiacre Ryan has been able to write a book, not to mind his ability to function on a daily basis. RPM also helped his confidence. There are different methods that can work for different children. Again, this technology scheme is a case in point.
