Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

There is a real danger that Bluebell ABA School for children with autism will have to close if it is not assisted by the Government with funding this year. That is why I am raising the issue as a matter of urgency. Parents are fearful for their children, who have been making wonderful progress and are so very content in the Bluebell environment. Bluebell was founded by parents in March 2004 and caters for six children in a rented house in a residential area of the Limerick suburbs.

Parents have managed to keep the school going through using home tuition grants and constant fundraising. They are worried, however, that even that tenuous funding is now at risk because the Department of Education and Science has told some of them that home tuition grants may be withdrawn. I urge the Minister for Education and Science to sanction the funding of Bluebell directly by her Department to put an end to the uncertainty and worry those families are suffering.

Already some 12 ABA schools have departmental funding, and I understand that two others have been approved. None is in Limerick, the third city of the Republic, and it is about time that Bluebell ABA school in that city was recognised. I know that the others that have received recognition are doing wonderful work, as is Bluebell, but its future is currently very insecure.

I recently visited the school, one of the most positive experiences that I have had for some time. It is clear that the children are benefiting from the environment and methods suited to their specific needs. From observing them and seeing how they interact with those with whom they deal at Bluebell, I have no doubt that those children would not be able to adapt to the traditional school classroom at this stage in their development. They do not have the skills to survive in a normal classroom.

One of the Bluebell parents explained matters by saying that children with autism are trapped inside their own minds, aware of their surroundings but unable to make sense of them. As well as teaching ABCs, they teach those children how to exist in the world around them, something that will be a cornerstone of their futures and a key to unlocking their potential to understand and participate in their world. By investing in autism-specific education at an early age, we can give those special children a real chance in life. If we do not, they and their families may face a future of constant battling for services and the understanding of those around them.

If we want to be purely mercenary about it, I have no doubt whatsoever that the State will save a great deal by addressing the needs of those children appropriately at an early age. I cannot overstate the commitment of the parents whom I met at that school. They are desperate to keep it going and offer the same opportunity to other parents, but they are very tired of constantly having to raise funds and battling to maintain what they have put in place. They are very concerned for their children's futures. If the school is granted recognition, it will be able to move to a new site and take more children. There is a long waiting list at present.

I understand that it has been offered a site should it be given the go-ahead to establish a purpose-built school. They propose to increase numbers gradually over a five-year period, taking an extra five children each year up to a maximum of 20. I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, and his colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, to grant recognition and secure funding to Bluebell school. It cannot be allowed to close its doors for lack of funds. I make that appeal in the knowledge that the school is in genuine danger of closing owing to the loss of home tuition grants.

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