Mr. Jim Mulkerrins:

The difficulty in the past with the recommendation that training only be provided for the teacher working with a child was there was no guarantee that the same teacher would be working with the child the following year. There is huge movement of teachers such that teachers with particular skill sets are moving away from the children who need them the most. The whole-school approach is preferable. In taking it everybody in the school understands the context for a child with autism.

It is acknowledged that it can be hard for children with autism to gain work experience during transition year. We will be happy to raise the matter with our colleagues in the curriculum section of the Department.

There are a number of recommendations in the autism policy advice provided that will be considered in the coming months. It will take time to have many of them implemented as there are some cross-departmental issues. We have appointed an implementation group which is the responsibility of my colleague, Mr. Colm McGarvey. It has met a number of times and is taking a thematic approach to the implementation of the recommendations. The issue raised by the Deputy will be considered in that context.