The Laois Nationalist can confirm the number of Special Needs Assistant posts allocated to Laois Schools for the coming term that will be cut.
The number of Special Needs Assistant posts allocated to schools in the Laois area for 2010/2011 school year was 147.02 WTE (whole time equivalent) posts. The number of posts that are allocated for the 2011/2012 school year is 143.97 WTE posts.
As the cuts nationwide are counted in WTE posts, it is difficult to determine how many jobs this actually represents. But essentially it means that three special needs assistant posts have been cut.
This does not necessarily represent three individual people - it could be six SNAs have had their hours halved or more than that have their hours reduced.
Equally it does not mean that only three children will be affected. It is likely that there will be far more children affected as most special needs children in Laois would not have a full time SNA.
Schools in Laois have been heavily critical of the government decision, as although the SNA cutbacks aren’t as severe as in other counties, they don’t take into account the increased number of special needs children that will be going into junior infant classes in Laois this September. No new SNA are being made available to all the new children coming into Junior Infants in the September, and posts are in instead being cut.
Edel Shaw, chairperson for the Laois Offaly Families for Autism, is firmly opposed to the cuts, and believes that “children cannot be abandoned or left to struggle”.
“The Dept of Education's recent press release confirms that the care support for those children within the special school setting will be maintained but those children with special needs who are in mainstream schools are most certainly being left wanting” said Shaw.
The burden of care will now be shared between teachers and a reduced number of SNAs, something which Ms Shaw believes won’t work. “This situation is absolutely ridiculous - the role of the SNA needs to be updated to accurately reflect the supports need of children with disability that are currently accessing, and soon due to access our education system. The support they need can’t be given by a teacher if she is expected to successful teach a class of 20 or 30 odd children”, she added.
Ryan O’Neill is a four year old boy from Mountmellick who is due to start junior infants in St. Patricks Primary school this September. He was red flagged for autism in December 2008, and he was officially diagnosed in September 2009.
He is a non-verbal autistic child, meaning he has virtually no speech. He is currently learning how to use PECS (picture exchange communication system) as a way of communicating with others. He has about four constant words but doesn’t always know how or when to apply them and a lot of the time he uses a word meaning something else. It frustrates him not being understood.
His mother Anita was informed earlier this year that Ryan will not be given a full time SNA in school, a decision which leaves her mind-boggled. Ryan will receive a just a fraction of the attention he should receive, sharing the SNA with two other children who are not in his class. The rejection of a full time SNA for Ryan was on the basis that he can eat and go to the toilet by himself. This is despite the fact both his Senior Clinical Psychologist and Senior Speech and Language Therapist have personally written letters and sent reports to the Special Needs Education Organiser (SENO) stating that Ryan desperately needs a full time SNA for his support, and to aid him to go to the toilet.
An appeal to the decision has been lodged by the school, but it looks likely it won’t be reversed. Anita has attempted to enrol Ryan in a Special Autism Learning Unit, all of these units in their proximity are full.
“I was for a time strongly contemplating not sending him to (mainstream) school this September” says Mum Anita. “I feel in one way that if I send him I’m being neglectful, I’m basically sending him into sink or swim”.
Anita has serious concerns for the health and safety of Ryan. “Ryan is unable to tell you that he has fallen and hurt himself. It is a fact that it takes a while for him to register that he is feeling pain, or he may not even notice at all. That is a major concern. What happens if he falls and hits his head and nobody sees it? He hasn’t the means or understanding to communicate this” she said.
His attention span is fleeting. A speck of dust in a ray of sunshine, shadows, angles, anything rotary, or background noises that would most people consider normal fascinates Ryan. “He is dependent on an adult to prompt him into even the simplest of commands. For all the time he doesn’t have an SNA by his side, how is his teacher supposed to do this for every command when they have a class full of children with no extra help?” said Anita.
“I can’t explain how much hard work from both Ryan and I it took to have him understand to try and communicate, instead of reverting in on himself. I am afraid that with no voice in a class of thirty, he will miss out on his right to education. Ryan is a very bright boy and with the right help he can achieve so much” added Ms O’Neill.
For every Ryan, there is another child in most counties in Ireland that will be experiencing similar difficulties in September due to the SNA cuts, and that’s just dealing with children with autism.
Nationally there will be 227 SNA posts cut leading into the 2011/2012 school year.
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