Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which provides the Minister with the opportunity to clarify the Department's position with regard to the provision of funding to parents of children who attend the Achieve centre.

I understand the Deputy is referring to the Achieve centre in Donaghmede, Dublin 13, which is a privately funded ABA centre. I wish to clarify that the Department has no direct funding arrangements with the group that operates the centre. The Minister has been advised that four children attending the centre are using their home tuition funding to pay the fees. The home tuition scheme, which the Department operates, provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for pre-school children with autism. Continued funding to the parents of the four children in question through the home tuition scheme will be considered for the next school year in the context of available school placements.

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, SENOs, for allocating resources to schools to support children with special educational needs. SENOs are a valuable source of support to parents who are actively seeking a placement for their children.

A proposal for funding for an academy for children with autism was submitted to the Department for consideration. The Minister wishes to thank the Deputy for also forwarding a copy of this proposal. The Department will respond to the submitted proposal shortly. However, I must remind the Deputy that consideration of this proposal will take account of the Department's policy in this regard, which is focused on ensuring that all children, including those with autism, have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post-primary school network. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers, who may draw from a range of autism-specific interventions including ABA, special needs assistants, and the appropriate school curriculum, with the option, where possible, of full or partial integration and interaction with other pupils.

As each child with autism is unique, it is important that children have access to a range of interventions so their broader needs can be met. The Department's policy is to provide for children with special educational needs, including autism, to be included in mainstream schools unless such a placement would not be in their best interests or the interests of the children with whom they are to be educated. Some children may be supported in a special class attached to a mainstream school. These students have the option, where appropriate, of full or partial integration and interaction with other pupils. Other children may have such complex needs that they are best placed in a special school.

Students with special educational needs have access to a range of support services, including additional teaching and care supports.

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