Parents need to know all the options

THE gloomy picture of how Irish education is failing pupils with special needs gives rise to concern not just for parents but also among teachers working at the cliff face of this ongoing crisis.

As underlined by INTO president Austin Corcoran at the union's annual congress, the Government must give parents more information on the choices that exist outside mainstream classes.

As things stand, the expertise built up over decades is in danger of dissipating as the country's hard-won special schools and special classes slowly disintegrate.