Irish schools are not inclusive for autistic children'

Study: parents and teachers have fears over education system

- CATE MCCURRY

ONLY one in four parents and just over a third of teachers view the Irish education system as inclusive for autistic pupils, research suggests.

The research exposes the disconnect between how parents view the Irish education system and the practical implementation of inclusive education for all autistic pupils.

The findings highlight the serious concerns around the provision of education for autistic kids across Irish schools.

The research was carried out by the Dublin City University Institute of Education.

It revealed just over a quarter (27%) of parents in mainstream schools and 9% of parents in special schools believed that the Irish education system was inclusive for autistic pupils.

In mainstream schools, over a third of teachers (34%), school leaders (32%) and SNAs (43%) believed that the education system was inclusive for autistic pupils.

Dr Sinead McNally, associate professor of psychology at DCU and principal investigator of the study, said it shows parents of autistic children see significant resourcing challenges as a major barrier to their child's full inclusion in education.

PROJECT

Mary Rose Sweeney was the co-principal investigator of the project.