A report on special education for Irish children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has said that a government-supported autism summer school may result to an unsafe environment for the students. The report also said that one in 65 school children in Ireland have autism.
The report, called Policy Advice on Supporting Students with ASD in Schools, was made by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). According to the Irish Independent, the activities in the July provision scheme for autism students in the country may pose a threat to the well-being of students when there are new staff members that are hired who are not familiar with the students' behavior and medical needs.
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Environment May Be 'Potentially Unsafe'
The Irish Times reported that the NCSE believes that the July Provision Scheme or Extended School Year for students with learning disabilities such as autism can have "potentially unsafe" environment for students and staff members dealing with students. The NCSE called for a new "safe, social summer day-activity programme (sic)."
Meanwhile, the new statistic of one in 65 school children or 14,000 students having autism documented by the NCSE is reportedly a jump from the one in 100 school children estimated three years ago. This number is said to be around the same for the United States and the United Kingdom.
Autism And Education In Ireland
According to the Irish Examiner, the NCSE's report said that from the 14,000 school children with autism, 63% are in mainstream classes, 23% are in special classes in mainstream schools, and 14% are in special schools. Since 14 years ago, 2,200 teachers have been hired in mainstream schools have reportedly been hired to help students with autism.
The NCSE also found that since 14 years ago, the number of special classes for children with autism has risen to 900 from 80. In terms of funding, the governments makes a yearly investment of more than €300 million for the education of students with autism.
