Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As we enter the school holiday season, for some children with autism, nothing will have changed. According to the National Council for Special Education's recently published policy advice on autism in 2017, there was and still is a significant body of children with autism within the community who do not go to school at all and will this month see no difference in their usual day-to-day schedule now that school is out for most other children.

I will read into the record a part of the Minister's speech as supplied because it is very interesting and it seems to just be stuck in there. He said:

In relation to the use of reduced timetables by schools, my Department of Education and Skills has the firm view that all pupils who are enrolled in a school should attend for the full day, unless exempted from doing so in exceptional circumstances. Reduced timetables should not be used as a behavioural management technique or as a de facto suspension or expulsion, nor does any provision exist for the use of reduced timetables for particular pupils. Where schools apply a shorter school day in relation to a child, such arrangements should only be put in place in exceptional circumstances in order to assist a pupil to return to school, for example where a pupil has been experiencing an absence due to a medical or mental health related condition. Any such arrangement should be a transitionary arrangement, which is designed, for example, to assist the reintegration of a pupil to a school environment. In making such arrangements, school authorities should be mindful of the best interests of the child and of the child's right to a full day in school.

On the next page the Minister goes on to address something completely different.

The Minister is not a bystander in this. He is the Minister who is responsible and he can make these things happen. He has to take control of this and that is what has to happen. It is all right to say these things but the Minister can make it happen and that is vitally important.

While it is unfathomable that there are children in this State who do not have any schooling, there remain persistent reasons behind this statistic. According to the AsIAm survey, in some instances, these students have simply been failed by the State in terms of inadequate levels of autism or special class provision, despite the obligations on the State under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 to provide an appropriate school place for every child.

The survey also found that in other instances, students have a school place in theory. They appear on the roll book and, from the point of view of the officials, all is well. The reality, however, is totally removed from this. These students may be reduced to a partial school day by the school they attend, despite the fact that this is illegal. These students may be suspended or expelled, not for negative behaviour in the traditional sense, but literally because they are autistic and go unsupported in school. They may irregularly or almost never attend school due to overarching anxiety or a lack of suitably trained teachers, but they continue to be enrolled as normal. There were more than 850 children with special educational needs receiving home tuition while awaiting a school placement in the 2017-2018 school year, and while these children are receiving an education, they are still excluded from the community and isolated from other children their own age. If those children were asked whether they would prefer to learn at home or with other children, they would undoubtedly say they would want to attend school.

I commend the incredible survey work carried out by AsIAm, which provides much of the basis on which this motion and our contributions work, as it is the most comprehensive policy document on the issue of autism and special needs education to date. There is no single action or solution that will address this crisis, and that is the difficulty the Minister has. The Department of Education and Skills has clearly failed to adapt the school system appropriately to be autism friendly and has allowed for there to be a lack of regulation around how schools treat autistic students and their families.

I echo AsIAm and other organisations which have been calling for reform and ask the Government to address adequately and comprehensively the range of outstanding issues such as the need for more autism classes, improved infrastructure, better teacher training and an obligation placed on schools to be fully inclusive. On the subject of an increased number of autism classes, I am sure everyone here feels like its Groundhog Day as we have been calling for increased classes for many years and still there is a chronic underinvestment in this area. We also need reform in the way statutory services, such as Tusla and the HSE, deliver for children with special needs. These services have failed in their respective roles to provide the support to prevent students falling out of school or to help them to return. Over 91% of parents surveyed by AsIAm said that their child or children were experiencing exclusion or extended absence from school while not receiving any support from Tusla.

Most important, and something which this motion attempts to address, is the issue of waiting lists for children to get their first assessment of needs, with in excess of 3,568 children waiting nationally at the end of March. It has been said that the assessment of needs system is in disarray, with flagrant disregard for the statutory time limits. Proposals to bring in a new operating procedure involving a 90-minute assessment have rightly been met with criticism by therapists, parents and unions.

Better teacher training is needed to ensure that teachers are adequately trained to deal with children and autism related issues. It has been brought to my attention that there may be issues relating to the interview process that schools use, where it has become political in some jurisdictions, depending on who is on the board of management etc. That is failing our children as well and it needs to be addressed. I have been notified that some SNAs have had difficulty getting an interview at all, despite having a degree, adequate experience and everything else. This is always possible with the management structures within our schools. Some teachers may need additional supports to carry out further training, and this should be provided by the Department as well.

I end by echoing the sentiment by Inclusion Ireland that 13 years after the Disability Act 2005 was brought into law, it is time to admit that it has been a failure and it is time to admit that the Government has failed the children of this State by not defending their right to education.

They have a right to an assessment of need, not the right to wait on endless waiting lists. They have a right to an early intervention, which is imperative if children are to enjoy positive outcomes and if we are to see children with learning disabilities and special needs start life on a level playing field with children everywhere else.

See this speech in context