Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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125. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he or any of his officials attended a recent cross party briefing on the subject of his Department's policy with regard to applied behaviour analysis and autism by internationally recognised experts; if he will respond to the criticisms outlined at that briefing; if he will state if and when he plans to accept the invitation provided by the Psychology Society of Ireland's Division of Behaviour Analysis to meet with him in order to provide him and his officials with a more accurate understanding of ABA. [31334/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware that my Department's policy is to promote a child-centred approach to education of all children with special educational needs including those with autism. As each child with autism is unique they should have access to a range of different approaches to meet their individual needs. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers who may draw from a range of autism-specific interventions, including Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), Treatment and Education of Autistic Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) and Picture Exchange Communications System (PECS).

The Deputy will also be aware that as each child's identified needs should determine the teaching approach and methodology that is to be used. As children differ significantly from one another and as children's needs vary and change over time, it is not possible to impose a method or approach that will work for all children with autism. The research evidence is clear that no matter what exclusive approach is followed, its success is limited. Different approaches have been applied successfully with different children, and each approach has been shown to have limitations. This is why my Department does not establish schools to follow an exclusive approach including ABA.

My Department's child centred policy is based on advice received from NEPS; the Inspectorate and the report of the Irish Task Force on Autism and takes full account of advice from a range of experts on autism, including persons with expertise and qualifications in ABA. Advice was sought from international experts on research provided by the IAA and other research on educational interventions for children with autistic spectrum disorders and the advice concluded that research does not support the exclusive usage of ABA or indeed the exclusive use of any other approach, as a basis for national educational provision for children with autism. It is for this reason that my Department's preferred policy is for a child centred approach where the approach to be taken is based on the individual child's needs.

My Department remains willing to review and consider any further research as and when it becomes available and my officials are conscious of the need to adapt existing policies and to develop new policies as new research or learning becomes available.

The Department officials who attended the recent briefing referred to by the Deputy have also obtained copies of each of the presentations made by the 3 speakers. I understand the presentations were most informative of the merits and advantages of the ABA model. I am also aware that the presentation was attended by representatives of the National Council for Special Education.

The National Council for Special Education has a formal role under Section 20.1(j) of EPSEN to advise the Minister 'in relation to any matter relating to the education of children and others with disabilities'. I have now requested the NCSE to prepare Policy Advice on the Educational Provision for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. A feature of the preparation of this impartial advice will involve the NCSE consulting widely with parents, professionals and other stakeholders and interested parties. As the NCSE were present at the presentations, I would expect that the information presented upon will be of interest in the context of the preparation of the policy advice.

The NCSE have commissioned research which will not be finalised until mid to late 2014 and I expect that this research will inform much of the work in preparing the policy advice. Accordingly it is not expected that the report will be finalised until early 2015.

My officials are not aware of a recent invitation from the Psychology Society of Ireland's Division of Behaviour Analysis to meet with them to provide a more accurate understanding of ABA.