Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 449: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason children with an autistic spectrum disorder attending a mainstream school are not in receipt of a psychological service from the National Educational Psychological Services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36153/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service, established in 1999, allows for all primary and post primary schools to have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) whereby the school can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly. The number of psychologists in the NEPS has increased from 43 to 127 at present.

All children allocated places in Units for children on the Autism Spectrum were most likely assessed by HSE prior to entry to these units. Support for children with Autism is a complex matter and inter disciplinary collaboration is a fundamental principle.

Traditionally, health services, including psychological services, have been provided by HSE on a continuing basis. NEPS's role in relation to the school so far has been limited, however in the past school year a psychologist from NEPS has provided support to teachers in the autism units with regard to the management of behaviour and the psychologist also supported teachers in acquainting them with a specific teacher assessment instrument.