Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the appointment of a dedicated Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion. It was sorely needed. I am very hopeful that it will drive some of the changes needed in this sector. I am glad there is someone with specific responsibility for this and I wish the Minister of State luck with this role.

I would like to acknowledge the huge difficulties faced by all parents minding children at home during the lockdown period. These challenges were even greater for parents of children with special needs. I also wish to acknowledge the work of the special educational needs teachers who maintained the connection between children and their schools and facilitated their transition back to the school environment. During their appearance before the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response yesterday, representatives of Inclusion Ireland said that 87.5% of children with special needs are expected to return to full-time schooling. This is welcome, but it still leaves us in a situation where one child in eight within that cohort will not be coming back, mostly due to health reasons. It is important that whatever supports they need to pursue home schooling or some form of blended learning are factored in and that those children are catered for.

I would like to talk about the provision of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, places, an issue which has been raised by several speakers already. I am advised that for every 16 children who leave an ASD place in the primary sector only six places are available at second level. A real logjam has arisen in the transition between the two schooling systems. I know from my own experience in primary school classrooms that a great deal of what one does in the final term of sixth class is about the transition to secondary school. That applies to all children, not just those with special needs. It is critical, particularly if there is a child with ASD in the classroom, that the teacher talks through these issues, manages a transition programme and makes the connection between the primary school and the secondary school so children can make that transition as smoothly as possible.

There is still a huge issue around the number of ASD places that are available and where they are located. I will draw particular attention to my own home town of Tramore, whose experience will be replicated across the country. Some 12,000 people live in that community and we do not have a single dedicated ASD place in the entire town. The incidence rate of ASD is one in 68, so we know that statistically there is a demand for those places in our community. As a result, children who need specific ASD teaching have to leave our community and travel to Waterford city or beyond to get the placement they require. For children with ASD a relationship with their community is so important and so difficult to build up. It must be fostered. I am sure there are many towns across the country that find themselves in a similar situation, but I ask the Minister of State to take a particular look at my own community. With a population of 12,000 people, specific provision should be made for us. I recognise that the Minister made a commitment to increasing school places and I ask the Minister of State to look at Tramore in that regard.

I would like to raise the issue of SNAs and social distancing within classrooms. All teachers, particularly those in high-risk categories, are being advised to tape off a 2 m cordon so they can teach their classes while maintaining social distancing. It is extremely difficult for any primary school teacher to maintain a 2 m gap between himself or herself and students, but it is practically impossible for an SNA. Many SNAs may not even have the option. They may not have a dedicated desk within the classroom. I ask the Minister of State to ensure SNAs who are teaching in that environment have access to medical-grade personal protective equipment, PPE, so that at the very least they can be assured of the equipment they are using to protect themselves. SNAs may have underlying health conditions or may be caring for people at home. They bring those worries with them into the classroom just like anybody else. Can we make sure they have the equipment they need to have peace of mind while discharging their duties?

I also think it would be useful for us to consider the free provision of flu jabs to SNAs as they are in an at-risk category. This would add to their peace of mind and allow them to do their job.

I want to raise the issue of appointments for occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and dental care for children with special needs. This issue has been referred to already. Many of these appointments have been cancelled. I know from talking to people in my constituency that parents of children with special needs often experience huge frustration because the waiting times for these appointments are so long. I know we are doing all we can to reduce waiting times, but this is a cause of significant frustration among parents. They are concerned that having missed appointments during the lockdown period, they will be put at the bottom of the list and their waiting times will be increased again. I would like to be able to assure parents in my constituency that we will do everything possible to make good on appointments they may have missed during that period. Where occupational therapy is concerned, particularly speech and language therapy, we know that early intervention leads to much better outcomes. If appointments have been missed and things have been allowed to drag on, it really makes sense to make good those appointments and reduce waiting times in any way we can.

See this speech in context