Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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13. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason he did not issue a policy document on educating children with autism and the consequences of this failure such that there is complete inconsistency in the way ASD units have been opened and are now operating, as clearly highlighted in the recently published NCSE-ESRI report entitled Understanding Special Class Provision in Ireland: Findings from a National Survey of Schools, which found school principals varied widely in their attitudes towards the provision of special classes, with their varied responses highlighting a lack of awareness and understanding of how to set up a special class and the necessary criteria and eligibility for establishing them. [23280/14]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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My Department's policy on the education of children with autism resides within the overall policies on the education of children including those with special educational needs. I have asked the NCSE to provide me with Policy advice on the education of children with Autism and I expect this advice in the Spring of 2015. This advice will inform the development of future policy.

The report to which the Deputy refers was commissioned by the NCSE and undertaken by researchers at the ESRI and Trinity College. The NCSE has advised that the views and opinions in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Council. The NCSE provided policy advice to me in 2011 on the future role of special schools and special classes including ASD units which advised that the composition of special classes should be determined in response to the needs of children with special educational needs. Neither report indicates that the absence of a single policy document on the education of children with autism negatively impacted on education provision for these children.