Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 577: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); and if in view of this case she intervene and change the criteria for dyslexic students as a matter of urgency to prevent such students struggling and falling behind in second level education. [33964/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Second level pupils with dyslexia are normally integrated into ordinary classes. In such situations they may receive additional tutorial support from the remedial/learning support teacher, guidance counsellor and subject teachers. There are currently a total of 534 whole-time equivalent remedial/learning support teachers and 684 whole-time equivalent guidance teachers in place at second level. My Department also allocates additional teacher support and special needs assistant support to second level schools and Vocational Education Committees to cater for pupils with special educational needs, including, where appropriate, pupils with dyslexia. To qualify for additional teaching support, under this category, children must be assessed by a psychologist as being of average intelligence or higher and having a degree of learning disability specific to basic skills in reading, writing or mathematics which places them at or below the second percentile on suitable, standardised, norm referenced tests. In accordance with the terms of circular letter M10/94, pupils with dyslexia may also, depending on an educational assessment, meet the criteria for exemption from the learning of the Irish Language on the grounds of having a learning disability. Depending on the degree of the condition, they may also be eligible for special arrangements in the Certificate Examinations.