Paul Murphy: Government leaves Down Syndrome children behind
Paul Murphy challenges the government over a lack of proper provision for children with Down Syndrome and other mild or moderate learning disabilities. He warns that the recent roll-out of special classes is overwhelmingly for autism, leaving many children without appropriate supports.
Main point: Paul Murphy criticises the government for talking about new special classes while 89% are designed for children with autism. He cites parents who say they feel abandoned and highlights that of 387 new classes announced in March only one was for general learning disabilities.
Numbers and context: Murphy points to recent census data showing a sharp rise in people declaring disabilities and argues that the expansion of services has focused heavily on autism. He warns that an hour a day of special education support in mainstream schools is insufficient for many children with Down Syndrome and complex needs.
Government response and scrutiny: Murphy says he will raise the issue with the Minister and presses for a proper audit of provision. He asks whether there is sufficiency of service for those with mild or moderate learning disabilities and calls for more general learning disability classes.
Consequences and advocacy: The speech underscores advocacy from Down Syndrome organisations and the need for honest government communication. Murphy frames the issue as equal rights to appropriate education for all children with disabilities and seeks concrete steps to redress the imbalance.
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Thanks. I want to raise a group of children who are being left behind by this government as children with mild or moderate learning disabilities and complex needs. Mothers of children with Down Syndrome have written to me to express how abandoned that they feel. They say that the government is intentionally misleading people by talking about special classes when 89% of those classes are designed for children with autism. These are autism classes, obviously it's welcome that we're getting autism classes but the government should be honest about that. When the government announced in March it was sanctioning 387 new special classes, only one was a general learning disability class. Of course it's welcome to have some recognition by the government of the needs of autistic children, of their right to education, but children with Down Syndrome have an equal right to education appropriate to their needs too and an hour a day of special education support in mainstream does not provide that. Will you raise this? Will you commit to opening more general learning disability classes? Deputy Paul Murphy, I do accept the general point that because autism has, it seems to me, the incidence of autism seems to have grown dramatically, although some say it's better diagnosed. I'm not so sure anymore. I think the numbers are quite significant in terms of expansion of services both in health but particularly in education. Even this year it's been quite significant in terms of both census, the last census compared to this census, there's been an exponential increase in the numbers of people declaring with a disability both adult and child and there is a challenge that in the overarching focus on autism that other disabilities get perhaps don't get the same attention or the same focus and so general disability special classes are important, Down Syndrome and there's good organisations who advocate for Down Syndrome. It's something and we work well with them from a governmental point of view but it is something I will raise with the Minister and to see have we a proper audit of provision of service and is there a sufficiency of service there for those with mild or moderate learning disabilities.
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