Dr. Harold Hislop:

I will answer the first question. One must make judgments about the enrolment of the student in the ASD unit, in a special class or a mainstream class depending on the needs of the individual child.

We are trying to accommodate the vast bulk of children within mainstream classes and to provide them with the teaching and the special needs assistance when it is possible. I was trying to explain to the Deputy that the quality of the teaching input is the most vital part of the provision made for the child. The evidence suggests that the more we can give the teacher support and facilitate the teacher's engagement with the child, then the better the intellectual, social, cognitive and other development of the child will be.