Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Based on my experience as a teacher, I acknowledge the work that has been done by individual teachers and schools to make schools inclusive and welcoming to children with special needs, including those teachers who were drawing up individual learning plans long before a directive was issued by the Department to do so. Knowing how best to address the needs of children with special needs is difficult and challenging. It is not just about their educational needs. It includes their social and psychological needs. Is the answer a special school, a special class in a mainstream school, withdrawal from class for learning support or home tuition? There is also a challenge in identifying the particular need because it could involve Down's syndrome, the wide spectrum involving autism of which there are different types, including Asperger's syndrome, or the challenge of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD. I am critical of the latter label being used indiscriminately to target quite a number of children. Alongside all of that, the other children need to be educated in a calm and positive atmosphere.

I know from my own years in teaching that children with particular special needs can be challenging in a mainstream school. Some of them want to be in a mainstream class because they do not want to be seen as different. Foreign national children can present a challenge, as many arrive without English and some also have special needs. In the middle of all that, one finds the impact of homelessness on children. One can imagine the terrible effects of being homeless on a child with special needs.

How can the educational needs of all children be addressed because they all have a right to education? There is a need for real and accurate data. There could be more information on the forms that go in from primary schools at the end of September with the resource hours on them in order that we know the facts.

We must ensure that this applies to all schools. Children with special needs are not confined to particular areas because it has been too easy for some schools to say that they do not have the resources but X school down the road does. All schools have a role to play. Schools' admission policies must recognise this. We also need a whole school approach led by the principal or post holder that includes all staff, SNAs and ancillary staff. While there a postgraduate diploma in special education, most teachers will not have that. As all teachers will have children with special needs in their classrooms, however, there is a need for continuous professional development.

Regarding the curriculum, particularly for post-primary schools, educational needs need to be balanced with the academic ability of the child because students cannot be set up for failure. I know the junior certificate school programme and the leaving certificate applied play a really important role here but that is difficult in small schools. Time is another issue. There are times when a restricted timetable and reduced hours are in the best interests of the child and we need to be realistic about that.

One point I took from the motion and the amendments is the need for an Oireachtas committee on autism, which must directly engage with those teachers at the coalface who are dealing with this. I will mention ChildVision, a special school known to me that caters for children with multiple disabilities and visual impairment. It is a centre of excellence and a model for a special school because all of the facilities and services are on a single campus.

See this speech in context