Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 744: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath will receive an intense hearing test and access to early intervention for autism. [29010/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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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 if a placement in an early intervention unit is not available.

The Deputy will be aware that the 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 and contact details are available on www.ncse.ie.

The Visiting Teacher Service for Children and Young People with a Hearing or Visual Impairment is provided by my Department from the time of referral through to third level education. The Visiting Teacher service provides advice and support to ensure that the needs of children and young people with hearing and visual impairment are met. This service is available at pre-school, primary, post-primary and at third level. Details regarding the Visiting Teacher Service, including a referral form, are available on my Department's web-site www.education.gov.ie.

Officials in my Department have requested details from the Deputy's office in respect of the circumstances of the child in question and on receipt will liaise directly with him in this regard.