Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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298. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the provision of home tuition funding for early intervention can be provided in the case of a person (details supplied) to assist the person's parents in making the person's life easier; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54961/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department's policy is focused on ensuring that all children, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post-primary network.

In terms of the education provision for children who have autism, my Department has always recognised the importance of early intervention. Children with autism can be enrolled in an early intervention class from the age of 3.

Children in early intervention classes benefit from a reduced pupil-teacher ratio of 6:1. Class teachers are fully qualified and have access, through the Special Education Support Service, to training in a range of autism-specific interventions. Each class will have a minimum of 2 Special Needs Assistants.

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 which can be supported by Special Needs Assistants and 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) as well as the appropriate school curriculum with the option, where possible, of full or partial integration and interaction with other pupils.

The enrolment of a child to a school is a matter, in the first instance, for the parents/guardians of the child and the Board of Management of a school.

However, parents/guardians who may need advice or are experiencing difficulties in locating a school placement should contact their local National Council for Special Education Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) who can assist in identifying an appropriate educational placement for their child. Contact details are available on www.ncse.ie.  

The SENO can also advise parents in relation to supports which may be available to support children with special educational needs, including special transport arrangements which may be made available.

The purpose of the Special Education Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement and provision is made for early educational intervention for children with autism.

Where there is no Early Intervention class placement available, my Department will consider applications under the Home Tuition Grant Scheme, where a student can receive up to 20 hours home tuition per week as an interim measure until a placement becomes available.

Where a parent/guardian does not enrol a child in a school placement as identified by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), a grant for Home Tuition will not be provided. Accordingly, Home Tuition is provided as an interim measure only for children for whom a placement in a recognised school is not available and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs also provides supports for childcare, including pre-school education.

The principal vehicle for the delivery of pre-school education is the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which was introduced in January 2010 and provides for early learning in a formal setting to children in the year before they commence primary school. 

Children with disabilities have access to pre-school services under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) programme of supports.

AIM is a child-centred model, involving seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, depending on the needs of the child and the pre-school.

Details of the supports which are available under AIM can be found at www.preschoolaccess.ie which contains comprehensive information on the access and inclusion model and on how to apply for the new schemes and supports. For children attending a private pre-school through the ECCE programme, questions relating to the AIM supports should be addressed to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.