Ms Ciara Jones:

I do not think there is a single student in a teacher training college who will not have an autistic child in his or her class when he or she goes into a school setting. I do not understand why people would not want to get this training. Why does the teaching degree not include a module on autism? That would allow teachers to be the best teacher they can be for all students; to be a teacher who teaches inclusive education rather than having continuous exclusion. From the time a child is diagnosed, they experience exclusion every day, right through every step of life. It is not rocket science. We know that students studying for a degree in teaching will have autistic students, so why does the degree not include autism training? It is very simple. If I was about to begin teaching, I would be very frightened knowing that I would have autistic students but I did not have the appropriate tools to be the best teacher I could be and to make sure that those children would receive an inclusive education.