Sir, – Minister of State for Special Education Josepha Madigan recognises the "particular challenges for students with special educational needs and their families" (Letters, September 7th) and wants to work with schools and parents to ensure "everyone has the full information'".
Dr Denise McDonald and colleagues (Letters, September 1st) emphasise the need to act now to ensure children with neurodisabilities access not just assessment but more importantly tailored, specific and evidence-based intervention.
The failure to provide children who have additional needs and neurodisabilties with timely, appropriate intervention from psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and as needed, developmental paediatric and child psychiatry support, adversely affects not only their wellbeing (and that of their families) but impacts on their very capacity to access, engage with, and benefit from educational placements.
The additional funding for cleaning of schools, the essential personal protective equipment for special needs assistants (SNAs) and the acknowledgement of the role of SNAs and teachers are welcome.
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But maybe it is time to join the dots. Our children with additional needs will only receive the support they need when the Department of Education and the Department of Health recognise the need to work jointly in planning and delivering services to our children. – Yours, etc,
MARIA DUNNE,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Minister of State for Special Education Joseph Madigan should examine the possibility of introducing a replacement for the inadequate July summer programme for children with additional needs.
The July programme is not serving its purpose. It fails many children as it is not being conducted within the school environment. The provision is usually provided in the child’s home by a hired tutor.
It would be much more advantageous for all concerned if each special needs school the child attends covered July provision as a continuum of the school year. Currently, special needs schools close for the summer months, and this causes significant regression for children, with several of the milestones reached during the year eroded.
Many special needs assistants cannot commit to summer teaching due to family commitments, but a system providing substitute teachers could be established. The benefits for the children would be huge. For instance, an extra month in July would result in only a one-month break which would combat the onset of the regression mentioned. That alone would make the entire process worthwhile. – Yours, etc,
DECLAN MONAGHAN,
Tullamore,
Co Offaly.