Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 654: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position in relation to services for autistic children in the west Wicklow area; the pre-school facilities available in the area; if ABA is available in the area, the services that are available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26961/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware of the Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers, special needs assistants and the appropriate school curriculum. Funding is also provided for assistive technology and specialist equipment as required and special school transport arrangements may also be put in place.

Many children with autism are fully integrated into mainstream classes. The National Council for Special Education provides additional resource teaching hours and special needs assistant support to schools in respect of fully integrated enrolled students with autism.

Some students with autism require further support in school. The establishment of a network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for these children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years. In excess of 315 classes, an increase of 106 since May 2007, have now been approved around the country at primary and post primary level, including many in special schools. 11 of these are in Co Wicklow and they include 3 early intervention classes for children of pre-school age who have been diagnosed with autism. The National Council for Special Education will continue to establish more classes as required.

Children in these classes benefit from having a reduced pupil-teacher ratio of 6:1; fully-qualified teachers who have access to training in a range of autism-specific interventions, including Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), the Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) and the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and there is a minimum of 2 special needs assistants in each class. Other special needs assistant posts may be allocated in line with the needs of the enrolled children. These students have the option, where appropriate, of full/partial integration and interaction with other pupils.

My Department has put in place a training programme for teachers in autism-specific interventions including TEACCH, PECS and ABA through the Special Education Support Service. A recent initiative has been the expansion of this service to enable it to recruit a behavioural specialist support team, led by a person with a PhD in ABA.

My Department's home tuition scheme provides a grant to parents to facilitate the provision of education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children with Special Educational Needs awaiting an educational placement and provide early education intervention for pre-school children who have been assessed as having autism.

The grant provides for ten hours' home tuition per week for each child with autism aged between 2.5 and 3 years of age. This increases to twenty hours per week on the child's 3rd birthday.

The Deputy will also be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from primary, special and post primary schools for special needs supports on the basis of applications in respect of individual pupils. The SENOs operate within the policy outlined in my Department's circulars for allocating such support.

Each SENO works in an assigned local area with parents, schools, teachers, psychologists, health professionals and other staff who are involved in the provision of services in that area for children with special educational needs. All schools have contact details of their local SENO. It is also open to parents to contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs.