Special needs booklet available for download

A GUIDE detailing the full range of educational supports available to children with special needs can now be downloaded.

A GUIDE detailing the full range of educational supports available to children with special needs can now be downloaded.

The move comes after a survey of parental views commissioned by the National Council for Special Education, which identified a clear need for greater availability of information for parents.

The survey of 1,400 parents of children with special educational needs showed that almost 87 per cent thought their child was in the right school placement. But some 12 per cent expressed dissatisfaction with the level of support their child received.

Overall, parents of children in secondary schools tended to be less satisfied with the support than those with children in primary or special schools. They also wanted more information about special education and how schools support children with special educational needs.

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“Parents need to know about the supports that are available in schools across the country for their children with special educational needs. This booklet provides answers to questions parents ask on a daily basis about the educational options and supports available for their children with special educational needs,” said council chief executive Teresa Griffin

Welcoming the publication, Áine Lynch of the National Parents Council Primary said it will be an “empowering resource for parents which will allow them for the first time to access all of this important information in one place”.

The information booklet can be downloaded from ncse.ie

Seán Flynn

Seán Flynn

The late Seán Flynn was education editor of The Irish Times