Written answers
Tuesday, 15 July 2025
Department of Education and Skills
Special Educational Needs
Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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460. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her rationale for limiting eligibility for entry into DLD/SSD special classes Circular 00024/25 to students with conditions of an unknown origin when students with similar symptoms with a known cause would also benefit from the targeted support provided in such classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38913/25]
Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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461. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to develop alternative educational supports and classes for children with SSD of known origin to make up for the gap in provision created by circulars determining access criteria for DLD/SSD classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38914/25]
Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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463. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of concessionary places that are occupied in DLD/SSD special classes at the moment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38916/25]
Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 460, 461 and 463 together.
The Department of Education and Youth continues to support the needs of children and young people in the school system through the provision of additional resources to schools to the point where there are approximately 40,000 teachers and SNAs working to meet the educational and care needs of children and young people in schools. It is also important to note that the provision of speech and language therapy services to individual children and young people is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive.
There are, however, sixty-three special classes for pupils with significant speech issues attached to mainstream primary schools in dispersed geographical locations. These classes, which were categorised as Specific Speech and Language Disorder (SSLD) special classes cater for pupils with a very specific set of language needs for a maximum of two years. The enrolment criteria for these classes originate from the recommendations of the Special Education Review Committee Report (SERC) (1993). As envisaged by SERC, the classes were designed to provide a time-limited, targeted intervention for children with severe impairments in their skills of understanding and expressing themselves through spoken language.
The Inspectorate division of the Department published a composite report on the quality of provision for children attending these classes in 2021. While, overall, the Inspectorate reported positively on this provision, significant issues were noted. These included:
- Enrolment criteria for entry to the special SSLD classes do not align neatly with the current diagnostic definition (developmental language disorder DLD) which has been used by speech and language therapists in Ireland and internationally since 2017.
- Some schools indicated that there were difficulties caused by the divergence between the DLD diagnostic criteria and the narrower SSLD definitions, as well as the requirement for psychological assessments to establish children’s intellectual ability.
In September 2024, the Department undertook a review of Circular 0038/2007. An updated circular, Circular 0024/2025 was published in March 2025. The term SSLD will no longer apply in relation to entry to these classes and will be replaced instead with Developmental Language Disorder – Speech Sound Disorder (DLD/SSD). The revised criteria sees, among other changes, the removal of reference to IQ as one of the entry criterion for these classes.
The updates to circular 0038/2007, were informed by robust engagement with the Speech and Language Therapy service in the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT) and HSE Speech and Language Therapists. As advised by these specialist services, the revised entry criteria for these classes are intended to ensure that the children with the greatest level of difficulty can access the classes.
Guidelines, a decision-making matrix and additional support from the NCSE have been provided to schools to assist them in ensuring that the children with the greatest level of need are facilitated to enrol in the classes.
Department officials also engaged with education stakeholders, including representatives of schools who provide these classes, to consult on the terms of the circular. The feedback from the stakeholders has been incorporated into the revised circular. The circular will be subject to review and this will involve the full range of education and health stakeholders.
Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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462. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the details of the contractual deployment of speech and language therapists in the DLD/SSD special classes and how duties are split between her Department and the Department of Health; the number of such posts vacant at the moment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38915/25]
Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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There are 63 special classes for children with DLD or SSD of unknown origin in primary schools located across the country. There is a 7:1 pupil teacher ratio in these classes. Additionally, the Health Service Executive assigns speech and language therapists to these classes to assist in meeting their language needs. The allocation of therapists to these classes is a matter for the HSE and the Department of Education and Youth cannot comment on the contractual arrangements in place.
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