Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This was Deputy Ó Murchú's second question. His first question was specifically on Louth but I have no difficulty in taking this one. I met Fiacre Ryan last week, along with his mother. He has written a book, Speechless, which the Deputy is probably aware of. It is incredible for a non-verbal autistic child to write a book. His mother correctly made the point to me that just because someone has autism does not mean they are not intelligent, and he is clearly an extremely intelligent young man. He learned through the method to which the Deputy alludes and about which Deputy Ó Murchú has asked. The Department and the NCSE, however, are of the view that it is important to recognise that students with autism have many different types of needs and that those needs change as they grow and move through the education system, so it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. There can be nuances and variance throughout the system. Over the years advocates of different approaches have spoken to the Department in support of the educational needs of children with autism and they have asked Ministers and the Department of Education to adopt or use those approaches in schools. It is all about what is right for the particular child. It is personal to the children themselves and it depends on what is in their best interests. If RPM works for that child and is of value to that child, it is something that can be used but it does not have to be. There is a wide range of teaching approaches that are employed by class teachers and to support that important work there is the autism good practice guidance, which supports children and young people as a resource for schools and others.

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