Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I support the recent trend of integrating as many children as possible into the one school. However, I also recognise that some children are better served educationally, developmentally and socially in schools that cater exclusively for their needs. If a child with a special educational need attends a mainstream class, the capitation the school receives is the same as for other pupils. I ask the Minister to address this anomaly as a matter of urgency. Another anomaly exists for those children in junior infants class last year. Now these children have entered full-day classes and I cannot understand why the special needs assistant stays with them only until lunch time. Their needs do not change when the bell strikes lunch break.

Meeting the needs of children with special educational requirements has a cross-departmental aspect. For children with autism, in addition to the provision of consistent and regular resource teaching hours, the appointment of trained special needs assistants for individual children and access to a psychologist for regular assessment, frequent access to a speech and language therapist and occupational therapist is advised in almost all cases. A holistic approach to needs must be adopted. Each individual need must be viewed as a single building block: when all the needs are met, the education of the child can build and grow. Leaving some of these needs unmet will undermine the total educational attainment of the child, potentially for his or her lifetime. Resources are a key issue; without them, the best legislative framework for the provision of support to children with special needs will not be enough.

I recognise that the Minister has been in the job a short time. However, she must understand these children and their parents cannot wait. This motion reflects their needs and there is a number of simple actions that the Minister for Education and Science must take without delay. The telephone helplines must be kept open. Parents and teachers must have access to the Department to find out the position of applications for assistance made. More staff must be allocated. If the staff are not available to process the applications for assistance, then the applications will just gather dust in the Department. This is not acceptable for the children involved. Proper information must be given. The Department must stop sending out standardised responses to every query about the provision for special needs children. This simply adds to parents' frustration who feel they are getting nowhere with successive Ministers for Education and Science. The parents and teachers must be told at what stage applications for resources are in an upfront and honest way. Reasonable timescales for the consideration of applications must be given rather than allowing them fester for more than 18 months, as is the case now. The Minister must take advice and listen to what educational psychologists are saying. There are numerous cases where psychologists have recommended specific educational assistance for a child, only to find that the Minister for Education and Science or her Department has other ideas. Failure to listen to qualified advice is a failure to meet the specific needs of children.

The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 must be prioritised with the recommendations on the development of education plans and parental involvement put in place. A principal informed me that a special needs organiser called to his school last week. When the principal asked the organiser of a specific case, he replied that he did not know his brief or what he had to do. This is unacceptable.

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