Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 574: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the money that was spent every year since 2000 to develop ABA schools and education; the percentage of this that was of the education budget; the percentage of the population under 18 here who have been diagnosed with autism; the average diagnosis percentages for France, Denmark, UK, and Italy; the funding and schooling that is provided for autism spectrum children in France, Denmark, UK, and Italy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3730/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with autism, receive an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings where children may have access to individualised education programmes, fully-qualified professional teachers who have received additional training in autism, special needs assistants, the appropriate school curriculum with the option, where possible and appropriate, of full/partial integration and interaction with other pupils.

Furthermore, as each child with autism is unique, such children should have access to a range of different interventions including ABA to meet their individual needs. My Department funds training for teachers in ABA through the Special Education Support Service and it provides funding for the ABA pilot programme which facilitates a number of stand-alone units providing ABA specific methodologies. I am arranging for the figures on the amount of funding spent in relation to the pilot scheme to be forwarded to the Deputy.

My Department does not retain information in relation to the percentage of the population below 18 years of age who have been diagnosed with autism. However the Task Force on Autism (2001) considered that the national prevalence rate was 56 per 10,000 (20 per 10,000 for Autistic Disorder and 36 per 10,000 for Asperger's Syndrome).

The international statistics requested are not readily available in my Department.