Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which is of concern to many Members.

Almost 18,000 students in schools have been diagnosed with autism. My Department invests over €300 million annually in providing additional resources specifically to support students with autism in schools, enabling: 63% of students to attend mainstream schools; 26% to attend special classes in mainstream primary; and post-primary schools and 11% to attend special schools.

Enrolment in an ASD special class is only considered where it has been demonstrated that a student requires the support of a special class because he or she is unable to learn effectively in a mainstream class for most or all of the school day, even with appropriate supports.

Students enrolling in ASD special classes must have a report from a relevant professional or team of professionals, including, for example, a psychologist, a speech and language therapist or a psychiatrist, stating that the child has autism and has significant learning needs that require the support of a special class setting. The report should also set out the reasons this is the case.

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible for establishing special classes to meet the needs of this cohort of students.

The NCSE has informed my Department that, in general, it is satisfied that there are sufficient ASD special class placements to meet demand.

Since 2012 the NCSE has increased the number of ASD special classes by more than 100% from 413 in 2012 to 888 currently.

The NCSE has informed my Department that it intends to establish an additional 162 ASD special classes for the 2017-18 school year which will bring the total number available across the country to 1,050.

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