Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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Deputy Ó Murchú mentioned ACC devices. There is a huge opportunity with assistive technology to help and support. We use it at home with our son. Some 500 tablets were made available with apps and training through AsIAm from disability services, but that needs to be rolled out. Every child who has a speech and language issue should have access to that tablet with the proper app that can be brought home. It can be done in school and with parents and well. It can make a massive difference to a child. I know from personal experience that it works. Put that technology in the youngsters’ and parents’ hands and we can make much progress. The reality is we will not get to a situation for a long number of years where we have enough qualified therapists.

That brings me to the positions that were sanctioned by the Minister for further and higher education at the time, Deputy Harris, for speech and language assistants in the ETBs. Is it expected to expand on the number of those? In time, will there be a speech and language assistant position in every school? Has that been looked at?

Regarding teacher training, we met Teaching Council representatives at the committee and they were positive towards changing the models of teaching training to more inclusive education. I refer to the need for a module or for teachers having to spend a summer in the summer programme or at least a term in a special class, rather than what has happened in the past. We have seen teachers come straight out of college and put straight into a special class without any experience at all, which is not acceptable.