Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 190: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 255 of 8 February 2007 and the answer thereto, the advice she has to offer to the person (details supplied) in County Kildare; the facilities available to the child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6997/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I previously advised the Deputy that as a specific function of the NCSE, through its network of local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is to identify appropriate educational placement for all children with special educational needs and the parents of the child in question should contact the local SENO in this regard.

I am now reiterating that advice particularly as the child is of school-going age. The SENO will advise of the options available which include mainstream placement with support and enrolment in a special unit attached to a mainstream school or a special school as appropriate. The child is currently in receipt of 20 hours per week home tuition.

As previously advised I am committed to ensuring that all children, including those with autism, receive an education appropriate to their needs, preferably through the primary and post primary school network. In this regard my Department has established:

181 special classes for children with autism, attached to special and mainstream schools, 17 of which are in the Kildare area.

5 special classes for children with Asperger's Syndrome.

16 pre-school classes to facilitate the demand for early intervention provision for children on the autistic spectrum.

14 Stand Alone facilities providing an Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) specific methodology on a pilot basis, 1 of these facilities is based in the Kildare area and 2 of these facilities have yet to be established.