Christy O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 94: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will make provision whereby the home tuition grant can be extended for a further 12 months to children over five years of age who have been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder and if she will outline the policy of accessing the suitability of a school capable of meeting the requirements of such children as opposed to the availability of school places. [45564/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that my Department provides grant aid under the Home Tuition Scheme to provide early education intervention for pre-school children with a confirmed diagnosis of autism or to parents of children with autism who are awaiting an educational placement. Therefore children with a diagnosis of autism aged 2.5 years are entitled to ten hours home tuition per week under the scheme. This allocation increases to twenty hours per week on the child's 3rd birthday provided no school/early education placement is available for them.

Furthermore children with autism may be eligible for tuition as an interim measure only whilst awaiting a school placement. As the Deputy is 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. SENOs with their local knowledge and expertise are a valuable resource to parents in sourcing an educational placement.

Where a school placement is available resources are allocated to schools to enable appropriate educational provision to be made. In addition to teaching and special needs assistant support training supports are available to schools through the Special Education Support Service. The National Educational Psychological Support Service is also available to provide advice to schools.