Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Two of these facilities have to be established.

As Deputy Sargent acknowledged, ABA is not the only issue. I have met the groups and committees working on this issue. The Department's view and the expert opinion is that exclusive intervention through ABA is not the only way. The task force on autism recommended that a range of resources and approaches be made available to meet the unique needs of each student with autistic spectrum disorder in all settings and the Department is of the view that children with autism, in common with all children, should be educated by suitably qualified teachers within the school system where they can mix with the wider peer group and have maximum opportunity for integration. Pupils attending special classes in mainstream school benefit from the wider range of special teaching methodologies open to them, fully qualified national school teachers, a school structure and the option of integration into mainstream classes if that is suitable for them.

I can well understand that a number of parents take the view that only one methodology suits their children but the State is providing——

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