David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle’s office for allowing me to raise this issue on World Autism Day. It is apt that we do so. Autism is a lifelong developmental condition with an autism spectrum going from mild to acute and severe.

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Will Members who are not engaging in this debate please leave the Chamber and allow the Deputy continue making his contribution?

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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We are not really sure as to the prevalence of autism. Research by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, indicates it is one in 100, totalling 450,000 people in Ireland. Research from the United States indicates it is one in 68 people, a more alarming statistic. This is an issue on which we need to focus.

Apart from the day that is in it, another reason I am raising this issue is because quite a number of parents have raised concerns with me about intervention classes at primary and, particularly, post-primary level. Does the Department of Education and Skills or the NCSE collect information on how many children in schools have ASD, autism spectrum disorder, diagnoses? If the Minister for Education and Skills does not have that information today, will she communicate it to me later? If the information is not available, how can the Department plan for how many children it needs to cater? Will the Minister inform me if her colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has appointed an ASD expert to the national disability strategy implementation group, as decided by the relevant Cabinet sub-committee? Has the strategy been autism-proofed?

In some instances, where children have an acute form of autism, will the Minister consider that integration into mainstream education is not the way to go and they need special second level schools? Many schools in my area, as well as across the country, have long waiting lists. This is causing significant distress for families with children with autism because they have no school places for their children.

Our colleague, Deputy Michael McCarthy, published a Bill to have a national autism strategy similar to what pertains in Scotland. Will the Minister move on this issue? If the numbers are as high as indicated, this is a major issue on which we need to focus. Home tuition is available for many parents but many would prefer to send their children to special schools in severe cases or special classes in a mainstream school in the cases of moderate conditions. This is a particular problem for second level schools as they might not have the space, facilities and expertise to assist, support and teach children on the autistic spectrum.

When will the comprehensive policy on how best children with special needs can be supported be finalised? Will the House debate it when it is?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue on World Autism Day as it gives me an opportunity to outline the progress and current position regarding the education of children with autism. Having a debate on this can be discussed with the Whips.

World Autism Day provides an opportunity to raise of awareness of autism and to consider the challenges faced by children with autism and their families. The Government's commitment is to ensure all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post-primary school network.

The Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools which have enrolled pupils with autism to ensure wherever a child is enrolled, they will have access to an appropriate education. Children with autism can enrol in an early intervention class from the age of three and, if they are assessed younger, home tuition can be provided from the age of two and a half. Children with autism may be enrolled in a mainstream school and can attend all mainstream classes. In such cases, these children will receive additional teaching support through the learning support and-or the resource teacher and where appropriate will receive access to special needs assistance and assistive technology if required.

In respect of children with autism who cannot be accommodated in mainstream education, they may be enrolled in special classes or special schools where more intensive and supportive interventions are provided. This will normally include a pupil teacher ratio of 6: 1 and special needs assistant support normally amounting to two special needs assistants, SNAs, for a class of six children. Progress in developing this network has been significant and in addition to the special school placements there are now approximately 625 special classes nationwide in mainstream schools, 95 of which are early intervention settings, 378 in primary schools and 152 at post-primary level. Other units will open in September.

The NCSE is at an advanced stage in the preparation of policy advice on the education of children with autism.

I expect that the NCSE final report, which is due to be delivered in the coming months, will reflect the broadest possible range of views, both national and international, and will provide recommendations which will assist the development of policy for future years.

This Government is committed to developing a programme of actions specific to the needs of those with autism for incorporation in the national disability strategy implementation plan. Last year, the National Disability Authority undertook a consultation exercise to find out how the implementation of the national disability strategy implementation plan can most effectively address the needs of people with autism. The National Disability Authority has been tasked to work bilaterally with each Department to develop time-bound actions to address the needs of people with autism for incorporation in the national disability strategy implementation plan. Officials in my Department are fully engaged with the National Disability Authority in the development of these actions.

I know the Deputy was looking for specific information about the number, which I do not have today so I will come back to him that. The Deputy also raised the issue of the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, which I will clarify with her in respect of an ASD expert for the National Disability Authority implementation group, so I will have to come back to Deputy Stanton about that as well. I know there is strong demand for special schools. We are constantly updating our data relating to children who need supports. Additional special units will come on stream this year. I held a meeting yesterday with some principals of special schools, although they were not specifically schools for autism. I know there is a lot of pressure on the special school in my constituency and I am aware this is the case in other parts of the country. We need to continue to identify the needs as early as possible to ensure we have appropriate provision. Early intervention is important and there is provision for that. There is evidence that the numbers with autism is increasing and is quite high.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for her comprehensive response and look forward to receiving the information she mentioned. In the north Lee area in my constituency there is a very long waiting list to get a diagnosis because without that, early intervention cannot happen.

If the condition is acute, I think special schools are the way to go. The difficulty is that sometimes these schools are a long way from the homes of the children and travelling to and from these schools can be very problematic and can add to the stress and pressure. Could the Minister carry out a national examination of the location of special schools and see where there are areas where there is demand but no school in order that children will not have to travel, leading to more expense in the form of taxis and buses?

Could the Minister come back to me on autism-specific teams? I know this is possibly crossing over into health. This is a problem because this area is a cross between health and education. It also involves other areas such as enterprise and employment and environment as people get older. This is why we need a strategy to pull it all together rather than it being a case of who does what. Certain provisions of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act were geared towards children with special needs, but much of that Act has been parked and has not been developed or brought into force. Will the Minister tell us her plans regarding bringing that into force?

I note that under the Disability Act, when a child was diagnosed, the diagnosis was to include information about what the child would need. I understand that the Department of Education and Skills is saying the assessor cannot and should not specify exactly what the child needs. This is completely against the spirit of the Act and I ask the Minister to change that.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The NCSE will furnish me with a report soon with advice on the education of children on the autism spectrum. This will advise me regarding where gaps exist and what needs to be done. I think the Deputy will be aware that I visited the Middletown Centre for Autism in County Armagh with the Minister from the Northern Ireland Executive last week. The Deputy and I were members on the committee when the centre was being set up some years ago. We need to be aware of the very good work being done in that centre in terms of the support given to schools and individual families. I met a set of parents from County Kildare who were very pleased with their child's progress because of the intervention in the centre.

I know there are issues relating to special needs that cross over between my Department and the Department of Health and Children and I have discussed them with the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. We need to continue discussing these issues.

The NCSE developed a new model for support for children with special needs. We are unable to proceed with that in September but we hope it will be ready to proceed in the near future. In advance of that, I pulled together some of the supports that are available for children with special needs in the NCSE. I acknowledge that there is more to be done across Departments in terms of support for these children.