Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 627: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when an assessment will be forthcoming for a person (details supplied) in County Sligo. [6924/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I understand from my Department's National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, that the school in question is assigned a NEPS psychologist but that the school has not as yet prioritised the pupil in question for assessment. NEPS encourages a stage assessment process whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention, in consultation with their assigned NEPS psychologist. Within this process, NEPS psychologists are available for consultation with schools in the case of children whose learning difficulties are a cause for concern. Only if there is a failure to make reasonable progress in spite of the school's best efforts will a child be referred for individual psychological assessment. This system allows the psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually.