Brian Brennan (Wicklow-Wexford, Fine Gael)
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421. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps being taken to develop ASD places in pre-school settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14186/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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This government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs.

There are a number of supports, provided across a number of departments, for children with special educational needs in a number of crèche/early years settings. The vast majority of children are supported by the Early Childhood Care & Education Scheme (ECCE) and the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) under the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I understand that there has been a very significant increase in the number of children being supported under the AIM programme over recent years.

AIM, introduced in 2016, enables the full inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities/additional needs in the ECCE programme. Its goal is to create a more inclusive environment in pre-schools, so all children, regardless of ability, can benefit from quality early learning and care. It is important to note that a diagnosis is not required in order to access AIM supports recognising that many children do not have a diagnosis of a disability/additional need when starting pre-school.

Where it is deemed appropriate, early intervention (EI) classes can be sanctioned by the NCSE in mainstream and special school settings for children aged 3 -5 years old with a diagnosis of autism. There is also a small number of EI classes dedicated to children who are deaf/hard of hearing. These classes are intended to provide early support to children before they start school and can aid their transition to junior infants. There are 155 EI classes in operation nationwide. It is important to note that many students who access EI classes enrol in mainstream classes thereafter.

Of the 400 new special classes places provided for in Budget 2025, the NCSE has advised that 336 of these classes have already been sanctioned, four of these are EI classes. The NCSE continue to sanction classes for the 2025/26 school year. Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally for planning purposes. Local SENOs are available to assist and advise parents and can provide details on schools with available special educational places. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available on the NCSE website.

The Inspectorate’s report: Early Intervention Classes for Children with Autism: Towards a coherent, inclusive system was published on 17 June 2024. Initial meetings have been undertaken to discuss the report’s findings and advances in policy in this area.

My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.