Presentation by Dr. Flatman Watson to NDA 6th May 2010

Access to Mainstream Primary Education
Environments: the case for pupils with an
intellectual and/or pervasive
developmental disability
Dr. Sheelah Flatman Watson
NDA Scholar
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Definition of ID/PDD
• „A condition of arrested or incomplete development of the
mind, which is especially characterized by impairment of
skills manifested during the developmental period, skills
which contribute to the overall level of intelligence, i.e.
cognitive, language, motor, and social abilities. Retardation
can occur with or without any other mental or physical
condition’
(World Health Organisation 2006:F70-F79).
• ‘A group of disorders characterized by qualitative
abnormalities in reciprocal social interactions and in
patterns of communication, and by a restricted, stereotyped,
repetitive repertoire of interests and activities. These
qualitative abnormalities are a pervasive feature of the
individual's functioning in all situations’
(World Health Organisation 2006 F84.…)
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Aim of the Paper
To present an overview of the doctoral research findings
with respect to the capacity of the Irish Primary
Education System to provide for the education of pupils
with ID/PDD
• Access to resources – principals’ voice
• Enrolment practices – principals’ voice
• Experience of accessing education spaces – parents’ voice
To present recommendations for State development of
structures and provision of resources to effect equitable
enrolment practices and equality of opportunity in
inclusive educational environments
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Geography Department

Local Health/developmental clinics
Child guidance clinics-assessments
Hospital clinics – assessments and treatment
Early Intervention Centres Assessment Centre
Voluntary & State intellectual disability Services
Voluntary & State Autism disability services
Special school system
Outreach unit system
Generic school teams
Clinical Psychology
Educational Psychology
Behavioural Psychology
Speech & Language Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Physiotherapy
Play/music Therapy
Nurse manager
Social worker
Transport service
Funding
Specialist
schools
HEALTH SERVICES
Disability
Services
Special
Schools
Other
STATE
PROVISION
Potential Support /Service Provision
Special
Schools
ID
Special
Unit ASD
Special
School
ASD/ED
Potential
Primary
Placements
Potential
links
ABA
education
centre
Special
class ID
EDUCATION SERVICES
Principal/Class teachers/Remedial teachers
Resource teachers/Peri-petatic teachers
NEPS psychologists/Private psychologists –
Special needs assistants/Classroom assistants
Home School Liaison Officer
ABA tutors
Home tuition Grant
Teacher Training Pre-service in-service
Teacher Education Centres
Transport services
Assistive technology
Curriculum development
Funded programmes (DEIS Schools)
Local clinic mainstream school team
Special
Unit
ASD
Non-recognised
Mainstream
Special
Unit
AS
Special
Class S&L
Private
schools
classes
Special
Class other
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CONTEXT
capacity
IMPLEMENTATION
equality
mainstream
services
inclusive
education
?
universal
design
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EDUCATION ACT 1998
• „to promote equality of access to and participation in
education and to promote the means whereby
students may benefit from education’ (Pt.1.S6 (c))
• ‘to promote the right of parents to send their
children to a school of the parents’ choice having
regard to the rights of patrons and the effective and
efficient use of resources’ (Pt1S.6 (e)
(Government of Ireland, 1998)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Problem
„…a great number of citizens are excluded from the
rights and opportunities of the vast majority‟ due to
societies being ‘organised for an “average” citizen
without any disability’ and in particular that „some
young people continue to have problems of access
to mainstream education…’ (European Union,
1996 )
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Study Area - Dublin & Kildare
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Methodological Strategy
• Multi-layered mixed methods approach
– Document analyses
– Networking
– Quantitative
Schools’ Questionnaire
Parents’ Questionnaire
– Qualitative
Semi-structured/narrative interviews
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Resource Sensitivities
Professionals
• Access to knowledge, qualifications, training, experience, cross
sectoral support, cross system support, professional networks
Parents
• Access to trained personnel to support decision making and
provide information on placements, disability services support
with respect to education
Pupils
• Access to assessments therapy early intervention programmes
and education placements supports
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Geography Department

Research Sample by School Designation
n = 245
Special/
Specialist
School
9%
Applied
Behaviour
Analysis
Centre
1%
Mainstream
School
65%
Mainstream
Special
Class/Unit/
DEIS
25%
6th May 2010
Geography Department

%
%
80
60
40
20
0
7.2
Principal
71.2
Class
Teacher
Staff posts as % of
teaching staff
13.3
Resource
Teacher
7.4
Learning
Support
Teacher
0.9
Peripatetic
Teacher
11% Teaching Staff
LS/SEN
Qualification
% Teaching Staff with
SEN Qualification
n = 3381
245 Principals
2406 Classroom teachers
448 Resource teachers
251 Learning Support teachers
31 Peripatetic teachers
50
40
30
20
10
0
1.6
Principals
8.2
Classroom
Teachers
18.3
Resource
Teachers
43.6
Learning
Support
Teachers
12.9
Peripetatic
Teachers
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Schools’ Resources
In-service training
23% Class teachers
28% Resource teachers
28% Learning support teachers
13% Peripatetic teachers
7% CAs
14% SNAs
Professional Networks
• 50% ILSA members
• 42% IATSE members
Auxiliary Supports
8% Clinical psychologist
54% Educational psychologist
17% Speech and language therapy
5% Home school liaison role
1 SNS occupational therapist part-time
1 SNS (Hosp) multidisciplinary
1 SNS counselling psychologist
Cross System Support
5% Links between NS & SNS
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Geography Department

Principals’ Voice
• 78 Schools reported denying/deferring access
• 128 Reasons provided
– 15 Waiting to get adequate structures in place
– 63 Unable to meet the students needs
– 36 Student characteristics problematic
– 14 Unable to meet parents/professionals requests
6th May 2010
Geography Department

% of School Type Stated
Denial of Placement
28% Mainstream classes only
24% Mainstream with GLD class
60% Mainstream with unit (s) ASD/AS/S&L
71% Mainstream with DEIS Status/GLD class
55% Special/specialist system
6th May 2010
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Principals’ Quotes
• „...required extensive resources…reports
supported…DES would not supply‟ (S241)
• „We hadn‟t the necessary skills/resources to deal with
certain students‟ (S103)
• „…child with DS...advised to seek place
elsewhere…already 2 other children with DS in class‟
(S214)
• „Pupil needed SNA speech therapist and resource
teaching which was available at a nearby school‟(S182)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Research Sample by Class Placement
n=119
Special
School PDD
0.8%
ABA
Education
Centre
11.8%
Mainstream
Class
47.1%
Special
School ID
16.0%
Mainstream
Special Unit
PDD
16.0%
Maisntream
Special Class
ID
8.4%
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Parent Attributes
• 87% No experience ID/PDD or SEN
• 80% Do not understand their rights
• 70% Decision-making on placement problematic
• 55% Some support - assessment personnel
» mainly through private assessments
• 30% Some support from other parents
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Access to Information
• „…lack of information…I mean there's no leaflet from the DES or
the DoH…that will tell me…the way it works…cause it's such a
minefield…there's just so many different things that you just don't
know about…‟ … there was no input whatsoever…they [services]
didn't help me at all… weren't directing me anywhere and weren't
offering me anything‟ (P14:RP)
• „…it‟s only a clinical diagnosis and we can‟t tell you what to do
and nobody can tell you where to send your child to school‟
(P53:RD)
• „… all of a sudden we were out on our own looking for schools…‟
(P64:RBB)
6th May 2010
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Parents’ Voice
54% denied enrolment on request (64/119)
117 incidences reported
• 1 Montessori (6-12 years) private
• 41 Mainstream class placements
• 7 Special/specialist classes in mainstream
• 8 Special/specialist system
• 7 Placement/type not revealed
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Geography Department

Reason for Denials
3 No reason given - application ignored
15 Special needs not catered for
16 Students disability/care needs/behaviour problematic
1 Particular programme not available
8 Schools’ opinion child not suited to placement
10 Quota reached – no places available
10 Lack of/limited personnel/resources/supports
8 Waiting lists-place/assessments/transport/accessibility
2 Outside catchment/religion/age/not toilet trained
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Parent Quotes - Denial
• „... no reason given but place given to our other daughter‟ (P82)
• „Do not cater for Special Needs – had A.S. students before.. they
presented behavioural problems (generalisation) the school could
not cope with‟ (P 57)
• „No SNA wanted in the class‟ (P71)
• „…not a suitable candidate to maintain the standards of his
school‟ (P50)
• „…principal…did not think integration was best decision (his
personal view)‟ (P69)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Parent Quotes - Resources
• „Head Teacher knew nothing about Autism / Special Needs
„(P19)
• „Quota full‟ (P1)
• „All special schools are full…Autistic Units are full…‟ (P18)
• „Did not have Sufficient Remedial Assistance for Darragh as a
private school‟ (P73)
• „No special classes or teachers‟ (P101)
• „No class assistant and fear of the unknown‟ (P75)
• „Principal did not 'deny' place, instead he shouted abuse down
the phone and told me they would never get the "support" from
the Department to deal with Colin. The principal never
replied in writing to any correspondence I sent‟ (P31)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Application /
negotiation
Phase 1: Negotiation for Placement
PARENT & PUPIL
DECISION-MAKING
Enrolment
process
Source information
Visit & assess schools
Decide placement type
Approach principal
Class
teachers
Reported Barriers
Transport
Resource
teachers SNA
Physical
access
PRINCIPAL
Space
BoM
Parents
6th May 2010
Geography Department

seek assessment
Professionals
Clinic/Private
provide report (s)
Phase 2: Enrolment Process
PARENT & PUPIL
Back to phase 1
SENOs
Apply for supports
Sanction support
Deny supports
PRINCIPAL
Provide support
Deny support
Enrolment
denied
Pupil
DES
Teachers Tutors
SNAs Psychologists
HSE
Assessments Therapies
Health Services
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Parent Quotes - Preferences
• „…any setting for a child would be only appropriate
if it was capable of meeting her assessed needs at
time of transfer” State response (in ASD class in
mainstream school)… did not meet needs‟ (P 43)
• „…the principal…wants them all to be happy but
fundamentally believes that there‟s nothing that can
be done for them‟ ...staffs‟ belief in full potential of
the child. Many special needs staffs think they are
just "minding" the children they are supposed to be
teaching‟ (P125:RQ)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Parent Quotes - No Choice
• „To be honest we had no choice. We got no help from
the persons who diagnosed Nathan. …the travelling
etc. didn't come into our decision - we were so happy
our application was successful… (P28)
• „…the only school that accepted him‟ (P75)
• „…it wasn‟t really choice, it was that or nothing‟ (P 20)
• „We were just so glad that any school would consider
taking Angela‟.(P44)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Parent Quotes - Comments
• „Resource teaching, in general, is with teachers who do not
have experience of Autistic children. S.N.A.s – have no
training requirements and need constant help and analysis
from parents. No instruction or support for mainstream
teacher on child‟s disability – dependant on personality and
interest of individual teachers‟. (P14)
• „Despite the wonderful teachers my son has I am disappointed
that even though his school promoted integration no actual
integration takes place at his school. This is a cause of some
concern as he now wants to engage and interact with children
he perceives as being the same age as he is. He is desperate
for company and in reality is very lonely even though he has 3
younger siblings‟ (P9)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

School Planning - Negative
• „…the school was badly run…There was no thought going
into…what each child needed. The classes are all run
absolutely differently…there were some classes that were far
more suited,…it‟s all very willy nilly and you take pot luck‟
(P126:RM)
• „…she was incredibly rigid…she made them do the same thing
every single day for the entire year…they all had to do
pegs…she did them for two and a half years‟ (P68:RAA)
• „…when he was in that school his pictures were always done
in black. Now I don‟t know whether that is significant or
anything, to us it was. He was always down‟ (P121:RR2)
• „…I felt there was no communication between the teachers.
The teachers weren‟t helping one another. They were working
in isolation.…She [teacher] used to say, I‟m sorry…Miriam is
one of my Guinea pigs,…because she was new to the whole
thing…‟ (P126:RM)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

School Planning - Positive
• „oh my God…his learning support teacher down there needs to
be canonised she‟s incredible…just really enthusiastic.
embracing all of them …it was such a huge mix …‟ (P50:RO)
• „…teacher…went on maternity leave there in Feb…and this
new teacher came in…and Uriel took to her no problem…‟
(P24:RU)
• „…they are very attuned to him…they know that he‟s
different…would always help him out…they are always very
kind to him and he‟s very lucky that way…‟ (P53:RD)
• „…they looked at what she could do…asked could they put her
out of the outreach classes for so many hours a day and [used
the outreach class] for anything that she was weak on…or that
the outreach class were doing…‟ (P79:RG)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Teacher Training - Positive
• „…she just was able to deal with him from day one and had
special programmes set out for him, what he needed to do for
the year and worked her way through that and got more done‟
(P53:RD)
• „…and I think they really felt empowered by it and really felt
much more capable after it, but again only two teachers in the
school went …‟ (P126:RM)
• „…and is actually doing a course on autistic
children…learning…how to work through them [emotional
and social difficulties]…has an awful lot more
confidence…seems now to be thinking ahead…‟ (P22:RH)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Parent Quotes - Positive
• „We are lucky to have encountered a very positive school,
with caring attitudes and very willing to learn new
techniques. We are fully involved in the education and
have regular meetings. But I realise this is not the same for
most parents‟. (P100)
• „…school has a huge amount of supervision to ensure
effectiveness of Content & Method‟ (P80) (ABA Centre of
Education- Pilot Programme established by parents)
• „… the school showed eagerness and willingness to help
and support Harry‟ (P18)
• „The staff are wonderful‟ (P3)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Travel Distance to School as a Percentage of the
School Type Attended
%
80
73
Mainstream Special Class/Unit Special School/Centre
60
40
20
0
39
10
23
21 19
29
21
4 0
19
11
< 3 3 - 4.9 5 - 9.9 10 - 14.9 15 - 20
Miles
0
7
23
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Positive Outcomes as % of Placement Type
Attribute
Full
Survey
Mainstream
Class
Special
Class/Unit
Special
School/Centre
Mainstream education is
available to my child
locally
Choice of setting was
available when required
Adequate resource
teaching is available
Support as outlined in
my child's assessment is
available
Education setting type is
my first preference
(119) (56) (29) (34)
53 79 34 24
40 58 24 24
54 53 55 53
46 54 38 38
75 82 59 74
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Evidence-Based Conclusions
‣ Contemporary inclusive philosophies and the ethos of Statutory
Instruments and the UN Conventions remain elusive
‣ Parents are poorly supported in accessing information and
securing appropriate professional supports
‣ Schools’ personnel are challenged to provide an equitable
universal inclusive education service without the support of
appropriate qualifications and/or in-service training
‣ Pupils with ID/PDD typically do not have access to clinical
supports
‣ Equality of access to and participation in inclusive education
environments and parents’ right to choose remain aspirational for
many
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Recommendations
DES
• Provide enabling pre-service professional training for all personnel
• Establish and maintain a database of all pupils assessed with SEN
• Special Education Needs Organisers – assessment and sanction of SEN
resource teaching and SNA support, parent support
• NEPS support for all pupils who require it
HSE
• Provide a dedicated network of multi-disciplinary teams
• Assessment officers– diagnoses and assessment of needs
• Liaison officer – early intervention, therapies, disability services,
provide continuity of support to pupils in all education settings, provide
on-going support to personnel in all education settings
Cross Sectoral Linkages
• SENO/Liaison Officer support parents in accessing appropriate school
placements with education and clinical supports sanctioned as required
prior to seeking enrolments
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Local Health/developmental clinics
Child guidance clinics-assessments officers
Hospital clinics – assessments and treatment
Early Intervention Centres Assessment Centre
Voluntary & State intellectual disability Services
Voluntary & State Autism disability services
Special school system
Outreach unit system
Generic school teams
Clinical Psychology
Educational Psychology
Behavioural Psychology
Speech & Language Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Physiotherapy
Play/music Therapy
Nurse manager
Social worker
Transport service
Funding
Specialist
schools
Disability
Services
HEALTH SERVICES
Special
Schools
Other
LIAISON
OFFICERS
STATE
PROVISION
Potential Support Service Provision
Special
Schools
ID
Special
Unit ASD
Special
School
ASD/ED
Potential
Primary
Placements
Potential
links
ABA
education
centre
Special
class ID
EDUCATION SERVICES
Principal/Class teachers/Remedial teachers
Resource teachers/Peri-petatic teachers
NEPS psychologists/Private psychologists –
Special needs assistants/Classroom assistants
Home School Liaison Officer
ABA tutors
Home tuition Grant
Teacher Training Pre-service in-service
Teacher Education Centres
Transport services
Assistive technology
Curriculum development
Funded programmes (DEIS Schools)
Local clinic mainstream school team
Special
Unit
ASD
Non-recognised
Mainstream
Special
Unit
AS
Special
Class S&L
Private
education
SEN
OFFICERS
classes
Special
Class other
PARENTS
PUPILS
schools’
personnel
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Mainstream Capacitation
universal
SEN
training
psychologists
universal
access
to
therapists
timely
resource
allocations
Commence
EPSEN Act
(2004)
Commence
Disability Act
(2005)
SNAs
valued citizenship
inclusive constructs
positive practices
universal
enrolment
equity
parent
support
equality of
opportunity
UN
CRC
Ratify UNCRPD
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Historical
TRANSITIONING
Contemporary
Potential
Thank you
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Abbreviations
• ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorder
• ID Intellectual Disability
• DES Department of Education and Skills
• HSE Health Services Executive
• NDA National Disability Authority
• PDD Pervasive Development Disability
• SEN Special Education Needs
• SENO Special Education Needs Organiser
• SNA Special Needs Assistant
6th May 2010
Geography Department

References
European Union, (1996) Communication of the commission on equality of
opportunity for people with disabilities: A new European Community
Disability Strategy. European Communities, 1995-2008, available at
www.europa.eu/employment , accessed September, 2003
Government of Ireland (1962) , Investment in Education@ Annexes and
Appendices to the Report of the survey team appointed by the Minister for
Education in October, 1962, Dublin.
Government of Ireland (1998) Education Act. 51 of 1998
World Health Organisation (2006) International Classification of disorders –10,
prepared by: WHO & DIMI (German Institute of Medical Documentation
and Information, available at www.who.int/classifications/ accessed 11th
Dec. 2006)
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Data References
• S 1-245 School respondents – quantitative survey
• P 1-119 Parent respondents – quantitative survey
• R A-Z/AA-DD Parent respondents – qualitative interviews
6th May 2010
Geography Department

Sheelah Flatman Watson
sheelah.flatmanwatson@nuim.ie
PhD Thesis available at:
http://eprints.nuim.ie/2011/1/PhDThesis__Sheelah_Flatman_Watson_October_2009.pdf
6th May 2010
Geography Department