Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to raise this very important issue with the Minister of State. As he knows, autism spectrum disorder units are very important. It is important children have access to them. We have a chronic shortage of ASD units at second level in all of County Laois. Good work has been done in existing ASD units at primary level and in some second level colleges in the country where they exist. However, we need expansion of it because of the enrolment. We have had a rapid population increase in the county. The last census shows that there has been a huge population increase. An increasing number of children will be coming on stream and going into secondary schools. I have been contacted by parents of children who are moving from primary school to secondary school in September and who cannot get a place in the ASD unit. The children are coming out of ASD units. All the reports are recommending that they remain in an ASD unit at second level. When transitioning from primary level to second level, it can be challenging for children who do not have a special need. However, I think the Minister of State will accept that it can be a very anxious time for children who have special needs and their parents. They need that support and extra help that is given in the ASD units.

The school boards of management are frustrated. The staff are frustrated. Parents are worried. There are a number of schools in which these are needed. Many of these need new accommodation to build them. They are in line for new accommodation but as yet, it is not coming. Portlaoise College needs four extra ASD classes. I spoke to the staff there just yesterday about it. St. Mary's CBS Portlaoise needs two extra classes. Coláiste Íosagáin in Portarlington needs two. I understand that it does have the spaces. Coláiste Dhún Másc in Portlaoise needs two extra ASD classes. Heywood Community School in Ballinakill needs two extra ASD classes. A number of schools need that. The Minister of State can understand that. I have spoken to parents whose children are number 14 or 15 on a list. That might be okay for mainstream classes because people will drop out or go to other schools. However, with the small numbers of places available, if a person is down that far, he or she has little hope of getting in.

I say to the Minister of State in a very strong and conscientious way that it is really important children have this intervention in their teens and as they move through their teenage years. We know that if the interventions are not there at that point and they do not get the learning supports that are required, this will hold them back. However, it also causes further consequences in later life in terms of employment. Children may get into trouble as adults and people may go down the wrong road. It may cause all sorts of problems throughout their lives in terms of employment, home life, social life and all other aspects of their lives.

I accept that some of the buildings will be modular, some will be rapid builds, and some will be standard construction. I am not that hard and fast - most people are not - about what we get once they are quality structures. A lot of the new modular builds are very good, if that can be done. Those schools I named need action. This cannot be postponed. We have to make headway with it. We have to make sure these children make the transition successfully out of primary school from sixth class into first year. We need to keep them within the education system and build for them a successful future. We must ensure they have a bright time ahead of them as they go through the school system and progress in life.

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