Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 133: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if there are plans for additional outreach places for primary school children with autism who live in Lucan, County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27816/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for the establishment of special classes for autism and for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. In excess of 270 autism-specific classes at primary and post primary level have now been approved around the country.

The NCSE will continue to establish additional autism classes where the need arises in both special schools and mainstream post-primary schools.

All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.