Green Party General Election candidate for Wicklow, Cllr Deirdre de Burca has said that in Government the Green Party will review special educational needs provision at primary and second level using recommendations made by Irish Autism Action.

Cllr de Burca says : "Denying autistic children access to suitable education is one of the great scandals of this Government. Schools specialising in Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) need formal recognition. They need funding, regulation, inspection and appropriate buildings in order to operate. ABA teachers need job security, defined career paths and to be valued for the extraordinary work that they do. And children with autism need a voice – they need someone to say that the present system is not good enough, that it is not meeting their needs and that it is not giving them the best start in life.

"The Barnacoyle Preschool for children with autism in Newcastle, Co Wicklow has not received permanent recognition as an ABA school” she says. “This is despite the very impressive outcomes that have been achieved by the school as a result of the use of the ABA method of instruction. I have stood outside the Four Courts when the o Cuanachain Judgement was given by the High Court and also joined parents for a recent protest march to Leinster House. I have been hugely impressed by the parent’s accounts of how much their children have benefited from ABA.

“Minister Hanafin and the Department of Education have not listened to these parents and their first hand experience of the ABA approach being used with their children” says de Burca. “The Green Party has listened and in Government we will review special educational needs provision at primary and second level, assessing and analysing recommendations made by Irish Autism Action and individual ABA Schools around the country. It is anticipated that implementation of these recommendations can be undertaken in the first year of any new Government. The reality is that we need a Minister who really believes in the importance of the ABA method to enact real change. Minister Hanafin might not be listening to these parents, but the Green Party is, and we intend to deliver for children with autism."