Mr. Adam Harris:

There is lots to cover there. I am sure Mr. O'Flanagan would like to address some of the Senator's questions. It is important to state that the language around disability is changing all the time. Within AsIAm, we prefer language that is neuro-affirmative and rights-based and focuses on the changes needed in the environment, rather than in the individual. We believe in a model that invests in such a way that ensures all children are able to be included, with that investment being based on need. As regards the term "complex needs", perhaps a better or more accessible way to say it is that we are talking about investing in the children with the greatest level of need. If Department officials were here, they would say the deployment model and continuum of support tells schools to use the resources they have in that way. We are saying there is a need to go a step back and that the resources the schools get should be based on that need to begin with. At present, there is a disconnect between what the needs are and how the resources are deployed. That is a big problem. We understand the challenges that exist in getting the data needed from the HSE, but there is a significant volume of data at schools level that would help schools to make that decision. One cannot say schools are trusted to manage that deployment and have the resources they need but then, when the schools state they do not have those resources and can identify children who need more, say that data is not relevant. We previously had a diagnostic-led model. When I was in national school, by default I was entitled to five hours and 25 minutes of resource a week on the basis of an autism diagnosis. I am not saying that is the right model but, as we have moved to a front-loading model, what we have lost in that process is transparency and rights. We do not need to put diagnosis back into the model, but we do need to put transparency and rights back into it.