Parents’ concern over special services

PARENTS of children with special needs have expressed concern about waiting times for assessments and poor communication by some schools.

One-in-five of almost 1,400 people who responded to the postal survey for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) found it difficult to find a school placement for their child.

However, 87% believed their son or daughter was in the right type of school.

While almost four-in-five were satisfied with the assessment process for their child, many were concerned at how long it took.

“We had to get a private assessment and we have had to do everything ourselves. We have an autistic child as well and we have had to fight all the way to get him into a proper school,” one parent wrote.

Another who also paid for a private assessment said the waiting times were too long and that the family would have waited more than six months for a Department of Education psychologist.

The NCSE processed almost 16,000 applications for additional teaching hours or a special needs assistant last year, among around 48,000 applications since 2005, and sanctioned support for more than 8,500 pupils in 2009.

However, the waiting time was one of a number of concerns highlighted by almost half the parents, who said the process of applying for supports or resources was difficult, including 23% who said it was very difficult. Other reasons for dissatisfaction were difficulties in getting the child’s special needs accepted or diagnosed, and a lack of resources.

“There is no guidance to what is available or what you might or might not be entitled to. As a parent, you know what your child needs, but there is no-one to speak to directly as to whether these services are available,” one parent said.

The study, carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers, found that almost 80% of parents felt what their child learns at school was appropriate to their needs, but they would welcome better communication with teachers. This had led to a substantial minority of parents — almost one-in-five with children in second-level — being dissatisfied with how their special needs were being met by the school. The main reasons were the way students were taught, a lack of understanding of their needs by teachers and lack of parental involvement.

NCSE chief executive Pat Curtin said the council will look closely at the findings to help it improve the services it offers parents, children and schools. “We are conscious from the survey findings that a number of parents had issues with certain aspects of the education service and we need to listen carefully to what they are saying if we are to improve things,” he said.