Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 463: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if autistic children are entitled to an educational psychological assessment through the National Educational Psychological Service; if the policy of her Department is to prioritise assessments for mainstream students over special needs students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36206/06]

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.

Where a pupil on the Autism Spectrum is placed within a mainstream class, the school may prioritise that child for referral to a psychologist from NEPS. 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.