Tensions at ABA school over move to back deal

SERIOUS tensions have emerged between the board of management and parents at one of Dublin’s best- known ABA schools for children with autism, over the board’s decision to radically change how the children are taught.

In recent days, the board of management of ABACAS Kilbarrack have agreed to accept the Department of Education’s proposals to change the school from a predominately Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA)- led school to a special school for children with autism and highly complex needs.

Twelve out of the country’s 13 ABA schools voted to accept the deal. The Red Door in Monkstown is the only school to have not yet accepted the department’s letter of offer which was drawn up after years of negotiations.

Such a move will mean the ABA method of teaching will not be given predominance over other teaching methods and that qualified ABA tutors will be replaced by primary school teachers who may not have qualifications in teaching children with autism.

Parents at the school have expressed serious concerns about how the decision to accept the department offer was made, as they say that at meetings in July, the majority of parents and all the ABA tutors were against the deal. They have also questioned whether the board lobbied particular parents in advance of the vote.

However, the board of management say that following a telephone ballot carried out in early August, the majority of the 25 families voted to accept the offer.

Last night, Pat McCormack, whose daughter attends the school, said he and other parents believe that the board did not want to take parents’ views on board and that parent-board meetings were “a game of optics”.

“We want to know where that majority came from. There was a complete lack of transparency by asking for views by telephone. We have asked for verifications of the record. We wanted to know how these views were recorded,” he said.

In an email sent to parents and seen by the Irish Examiner, the chairman of the board, Geraldine O’Donovan, strongly refuted the claim that she sought to influence parents’ vote.

“I would not, could not, and never did resort to any means other than that of setting out a few simple basics around the proposed structures,” she wrote.

The decision by the Department of Education was made without any formal evaluation of ABA teaching at the 13 schools. All opposition parties have strongly criticised this failure.

Last month following meetings with parents, the Board sent a letter to the Department accepting the deal – but only subject to a number of clarifications and commitments around maintaining tutor-child ratios and the predominance of ABA. A reply from the department did not offer such commitments. A subsequent letter of acceptance, in recent days, made no reference to earlier conditions.