Open letter to Liffey Champion regarding operation of ASD classes in Maynooth ETNS

The Board of Management and Staff of Maynooth Educate Together National School wish to alert Liffey Champion and its readers to inaccuracies included in statements reportedly made in relation to the operation of our ASD unit, published recently in the article "Local Parents Protests at the Dáil against SNA cuts". Below is text of the open letter to Liffey Champion which has been sent to the Editor with a request to publish it in order to correct those inaccuracies. We have yet to receive a response.

Liffey Champion
The Cornmill
Mill Lane
Leixlip
Co Kildare

4th October 2011

Dear Sir/Madam,

The Board of Management and Staff of Maynooth Educate Together National School wish to alert Liffey Champion and its readers to inaccuracies included in statements reportedly made in relation to the operation of our ASD unit, published recently in the article "Local Parents Protests at the Dáil against SNA cuts". We take this opportunity to provide correct information about our ASD unit, its operation and results.

Our ASD unit which welcomed first pupils in September 2010 consists of two classes, each of them able to cater for up to six children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. We wish to emphasise that at no time during its operation has the unit catered for 16 children as the article states. The Department of Education and Skills prescribes pupil - teacher ratios applicable to various types of special classes. We adhere to the applicable ratio as it is in the best interest of children in the unit, children in mainstream classes and the staff alike.

While we wholeheartedly agree with the expressed opinion that provision of clinical services to children with autism is extremely important, we strongly disagree with the view that ASD units operating without clinical support are babysitter like and do not provide learning environment. Our unit is staffed by two highly qualified and experienced teachers and four Special Needs Assistants, also all qualified and with relevant experience. Since the unit opened, the staff has availed of various professional development courses, visits, consultations etc. to further enhance their qualification. HSE Beechpark are the providers of clinical services to ASD units. A new model of the service is being rolled out in this school year and Maynooth Educate Together are on the waiting list for these services.

Pupils in our unit follow individualised structured teaching programmes and have also individual programmes designed to remediate their social competence deficits, thus inducing them to interact and engage with others. Many of the children are integrating successfully into mainstream classes on a phased basis. We regret that not all parents/guardians of children in our ASD classes are able to witness such a big success. It is however recognized that long term intervention, carefully coordinated and consistently followed by the school and parents/guardians together, is typically required before children with specific levels of special needs achieve first noticeable successes.

We would like to invite Liffey Champion into our school so that you can directly experience operation of our ASD unit and consequently be in a position to accurately inform its readers about it and about benefits it brings to children with autism, their families and the wider community.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Andrea Valova
Chairperson
Board of Management

Marie Hand
Principal