Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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661. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of autism education services (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6332/16]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department's policy is to promote a child-centred approach to education of all children with special educational needs including those with autism. This policy is based on research and evidence outlined in the report of the Irish Task Force on Autism (2001) and the Evaluation of Educational Provision for Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (2006), both of which are available on my Department's website.

The Deputy will be aware that my predecessor requested the NCSE to prepare updated policy advice on the Educational Provision for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The NCSE has submitted their Policy Advice to my Department. In developing this policy advice, the NCSE has consulted widely with parents, professionals and other stakeholders and interested parties while also conducting research. The advice is intended to identify the nature and extent of educational intervention/s, teaching practices and other supports which should be provided to enable children with autism to achieve educational outcomes appropriate to their needs and abilities. The policy advice is currently under consideration in my Department.

The Deputy will be aware that the Government's commitment is to ensure 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.

My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools which have enrolled pupils with autism in order to ensure that, wherever a child is enrolled, they will have access to an appropriate education.

Children with autism can enrol in an early intervention class from the age of three and, if they are assessed younger, home tuition can be provided from the age of two and a half.

Children with autism may be enrolled in a mainstream school and can attend all mainstream classes. In such cases these children will receive additional teaching support through the learning support and/or the resource teacher and where appropriate will receive access to Special Needs Assistance and assistive technology if required.

In respect of children with autism who cannot be accommodated in mainstream education, they may be enrolled in special classes or special schools where more intensive and supportive interventions are provided. This will normally include a pupil teacher ratio of 6 to 1 and Special Needs Assistant support normally amounting to 2 SNAs for a class of 6 children.

Progress in developing this network has been significant and in addition to the special school placements there are now approximately 762 special classes nationwide in mainstream schools for children with Autism, 116 of which are early intervention settings, 452 at primary level and 194 at post primary level.

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 (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support students with Special Educational Needs, including Autism.

It is also the role of the NCSE to make appropriate arrangements to establish special classes in schools in communities where the need for such classes has been identified.

SENOs engage with schools annually in order to plan for, and to open, new special classes each year in order to ensure there are sufficient special class placements available at primary and post primary school level to meet demand in a given area.

The NCSE also provides information for Parents of Children with Special Education Needs through its website www.ncse.ie and Pamphlet Series which inform parents and guardians of supports and services available for children and young people with ASD and their families.

Also for children with autism the school year is extended to include the month of July. This is commonly referred to as 'the July Provision Programme'. This is typically delivered in the child's school, but where the school is not in a position to deliver this, it can be provided as home tuition.

My Department supports the professional development of staff working with children with special educational needs, including those with Autism, through the Special Education Support Service (SESS).

Further support is provided to children and their families by the Middletown Centre for Autism in Co. Armagh. This centre is jointly funded by my Department and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. The Centre provides a comprehensive nationwide training service for parents and educational professionals. Parents can view the range of courses which the Centre has available through the website www.middletownautism.com.