|
|
Wicklow News |
|
|
Home |
News |
Sports |
Features |
Opinion |
Events |
Classifieds |
Photos |
Web Directory |
Business Directory |
Forums |
Email Around the County | Local Information | Music & Audio | Video | Property | Motoring | Personals | Jobs | Travel | Business | Contact |
 News Archives
|
/ News /
Funding for School for Autistic Children Urgent, says FGTuesday, May 8 2007Cllr. Andrew Doyle and Billy Timmins TD, Fine Gael General Election candidates for Wicklow, are jointly calling for the Government to introduce Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) support for primary school children in Co. Wicklow who suffer from autism.
ABA facilities for pre-school and post primary children with autism are currently available at The Barnacoyle Special Pre-School at St. Catherine's in Newcastle but no ABA funding is being made available for primary school children. This is due to the fact that the Irish government believes that the appropriate education for a child with special needs is a teacher and the mainstream national curriculum. Parents of children attending Barnacoyle Special Pre-School say this is not the case and that autistic children have special requirements which can’t be supplied in a main stream national school. ABA involves one to one instruction with a child with autism and scientific research shows that the system works for most children with autism. “There are currently 24 students in the Barnacoyle Special Pre-School at St. Catherines, 6 of which should be in primary education. Their parents are unwilling to send them to a mainstream national school as they won’t get the attention they require. Five children are in the post primary facility in the Kilmullen Lane school building. ABA is proven to help improve the quality of life of a child with various forms of autism, but the Irish government is continually ignoring this fact in favour of their own eclectic approach for treatment of autism.” “In a recent court case a child was assessed as needing ABA but the court found that he should not have his needs met. The Department of Education obviously wants a situation where they can distribute resources as they see fit, with no form of appeal. This is just not on. Assistance from the state is crucial for children of all ages with autism to ensure they get the best care and education available.” “One in 166 children in Ireland have autism but the treatment available in this country is years behind. Children in Co. Wicklow and their parents are suffering greatly while the Government drags their feet on this important issue. We need action, not long winded talk, about a situation that needs to be urgently addressed.”
|
|
Copyright © WicklowToday. All rights reserved. |
Printable Version
Email this Story