Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Members of the Joint Committee on Education and Science experienced first hand the benefits of this special class model at a recent visit to two of the schools which provide autism-specific education in special classes. I have seen how children with autism in the mainstream school are fully supported in the special classes as well as attending ordinary classes in line with their abilities and play in the school yard with the other students. They experience the school's genuine commitment to integrate children with autism with the other students at every opportunity. Staff are enthusiastic and open to fostering a spirit of inclusion so that all children feel very much a part of the school.

Staff pioneered new approaches in the mainstream classroom to enhance the quality of education provided to children with Asperger's syndrome. The committee and I saw how this model of education teaches children how to learn, as well as addressing communication impairments and helping them to develop social skills and become as independent as possible.

I understand that teachers in these schools explained to the Oireachtas delegation that while children in special classes can have their own special needs assistant if they need one, one-to-one support is not appropriate in all circumstances. The ultimate goal for children with autism is to enable them to reach their potential and live their adult lives as independently as possible. One of the key challenges for a child with autism is to develop the ability to relate to, and interact with, other children and adults. If children are provided with adult support unnecessarily all the time, it can inhibit the development of their sense of self, their independence and their ability to relate to others or to interact as part of a group.

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