Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 482: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the definition of a unit in the context of classes for autistic children; the number of classrooms required to constitute a unit; the reason these criteria apply and when they changed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42704/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced a series of measures to assist primary school principals with particularly significant levels of non-teaching duties. The new measures include that when a school with a principal and four or more mainstream class teachers also has a specialist autism unit, established under approval of the National Council for Special Education, the Principal will be appointed on an administrative basis. An autism unit is defined as two differentiated autism classes and provision for younger children with autism i.e. a total capacity for 12-18 children with autism. I am satisfied that this measure will provide much needed support to schools who facilitate the establishment of special classes for autism.