Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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214. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports her Department provides to primary school children diagnosed with dyslexia and related conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38418/15]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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215. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that parents of children with dyslexia must pay extremely high charges if they are to provide the essential educational attention needed by their children; that such costs include assessments for dyslexia which have to be repeated annually, membership costs for the Dyslexia Association of Ireland, charges for room hire and teacher provision, etc; her views that such costs represent an unfair burden on these families in ensuring that their children can receive the same educational opportunities as other children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38447/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 215 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides a range of supports for pupils with Dyslexia attending school.

All mainstream Primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model (GAM) to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including Specific Learning Disability (SLD), of which dyslexia is one such SLD.

It is a matter for individual schools to use their professional judgment to identify pupils who will receive this support and to use the resources available to the school to intervene at the appropriate level with such pupils.

Schools are supported in this regard by the National Educational Psychological Services. My Department has provided guidelines for schools in relation to the utilisation of additional teaching resources including Circular SpEd 02/05 and the National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS) Continuum of Support Guidelines.

In addition, my Department provides funding for a number of special schools and special classes attached to mainstream primary schools which have been sanctioned to meet the needs of children with SLDs, including Dyslexia. There are 4 Special Schools and 12 Special Classes attached to mainstream Primary schools catering for pupils with SLD.

Further supports which are provided to support pupils with Dyslexia include funding for schools for the purchase of specialised equipment; an information resource pack on Dyslexia which has been made available to all primary and post-primary schools as well as provision for continuing professional development for teachers with additional training needs in the area of Dyslexia through the Special Education Support Service (SESS).

Primary schools also have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA).

Finally, I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides funding to the Dyslexia Association of Ireland at national level which helps the organisation operate an information service for members and the public as well as assisting in meeting the costs associated with the attendance of some children from disadvantaged backgrounds at workshops and programmes organised by the association. Fees charged by the organisation to its service users are a matter between the organisation and its membership.