Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 486: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the full extent of support services available to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25140/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware of the Government's 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 and a school placement is available for the child in question.

Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational interventions, fully qualified professional teachers, special needs assistants and the appropriate school curriculum.

My Department has put in place a training programme for teachers in autism-specific interventions including Treatment and Education of Autistic Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH), Picture Exchange Communications System (PECS) and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) through the Special Education Support Service (SESS). The SESS facilitates a partnership approach involving support teams of practising teachers, Education Centres, the Inspectorate, the National Educational Psychological Service, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the National Council for Special Education, Third Level Colleges, Health Board Personnel, Teacher Unions and other relevant bodies and services.

The Deputy will also be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENO) for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support students with autism. The SENO will also consider applications from schools to establish special classes for students with autism.

Another function of the NCSE is to disseminate to schools and parents, and such other persons as the NCSE considers appropriate, information relating to best practice concerning the education of children with special educational needs.

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.

The establishment of a network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years. In excess of 390 classes have now been approved around the country, including over 40 at post-primary level.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 487: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 613 of 26 January 2010 and 441 of 25 May 2010, if he will report on the number of special needs assistants employed in schools in County Clare as of the 31 May 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25145/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The information in relation to the number of Special Needs Assistants is produced at specified time intervals by my Department. The next specified time interval is 30th June. I will arrange for officials in my Department to forward the requested details to the Deputy once the information is available after that date.

As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating Special Needs Assistants to primary and post primary schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.