Results 13,321-13,340 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: ——of parents all over the country that would take exception to his description of the inclusion of their children in local schools as a "social experiment".

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As I have already said, I accept that a place in a special school is the option most suited to the needs of some children but I utterly reject Deputy Kenny's claims that inclusion in general has not worked.

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I hope that Deputy Kenny's insensitive remarks were just an unfortunate choice of words——

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: ——and that he does not really want to see a return to the restrictive and unjust policies of the past where children with special needs were sidelined from mainstream education. The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 has commenced with the establishment of the NCSE, the appointment of 82 SENOs and the establishment of local offices around the country. An...

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Given the scale of the improvements provided for in the Act, which amount to a significant transformation of special education services over a very short time, the legislation provides for its provisions to be phased in over a five-year period and to full implementation by 2010. I have said from the start that it was vital to improve the supports available to schools before they become...

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The members of the inaugural special education appeals board were appointed in April 2007. They are working to ensure that appropriate structures and processes will be in place once the relevant sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, which would allow appeals to be undertaken, are commenced. This is important work that must take place before the new...

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Act is, therefore, being implemented on the phased basis that was specifically provided for in the legislation as voted for in this House. There has been no delay. Much of the Act has been implemented and the rest of it will be in place by October 2010. By that time, special education in this country will have been revolutionised and children will have a world-class level of service...

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Autism was first recognised as a specific special educational need in Ireland in 1998. Since then, we have worked hard to put in place a proper continuum of services for children with autism from age two and a half upwards. This has not been easy, given the historical lack of appropriate services for such children. However, considerable progress has been made. To prioritise early...

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Children up to the age of three are now entitled to ten hours of home tuition per week, increasing to 20 hours per week once the child is three years of age. Some 23 autism-specific preschools have also been established. The expansion of this preschool network is a priority for us for the coming years. Services for school-age children with autism have been dramatically transformed for the...

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: There are a maximum of six children in each special class, with a teacher and at least two special needs assistants. Extra assistants are provided where the children need them. A child can have his or her own SNA, if needed.

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Members of the Joint Committee on Education and Science experienced first hand the benefits of this special class model at a recent visit to two of the schools which provide autism-specific education in special classes. I have seen how children with autism in the mainstream school are fully supported in the special classes as well as attending ordinary classes in line with their abilities...

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I and other Members were particularly impressed by the 'buddy' system which supports children. I hope the Fine Gael spokesperson on education, who was not able to participate in that visit, will take the opportunity to visit on another occasion.

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I would like to turn now to the issue of the use of the applied behavioural analysis intervention in the education of children with autism.

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My time is very limited.

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: No I did not, I said on that visit.

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: In the event that I use up all the time, the Minister of State, Deputy Devins, will contribute tomorrow night. I would like to turn now to the issue of the use of the applied behavioural analysis intervention in the education of children with autism. As Deputies will be aware, autism is a spectrum disorder and children with autism can have widely varying needs and abilities. The Government...

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Teachers in special classes, who are familiar with a range of approaches, can tailor these to the needs of the individual child. Where a child has been diagnosed as needing ABA we have brought in consultants from Norway and the US, and as Deputies will see, we also have staff in our Department because we support the use of ABA and training is provided for teachers in its use. My Department...

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The task force also stated that there is "no definitive evidence that supported one approach as being better than others for all children with ASDs, or supports a single approach for all aspects of development; nor is there any evidence by which children could be matched to particular approaches". It recommended that a range of approaches be made available to meet the unique needs of each...

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The House will appreciate that if the task force found no definitive evidence to support one intervention over the others——

Special Educational Needs: Motion (12 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: ——it is difficult to ascribe any credibility to recent comments that listed ABA as the first and most effective educational approach.