Butler welcomes long overdue supports for children with Down syndrome

Fine Gael Meath West TD, Ray Butler, has welcomed what he terms “long overdue supports for children with Down syndrome”, following the announcement by Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan of an allocation of resource teacher support to children with Down syndrome.

“I strongly welcome Minister O’Sullivan’s announcement of additional resources to be allocated to schools as an interim measure to support those children with Down syndrome, who are not already supported through the National Council for Special Education’s (NCSE) annual allocation process. 

“The news will come as a welcome relief to families of children with Down syndrome who have been waiting a long time, both for proper recognition of the syndrome and also the necessary supports for their children.

“Having a sister with Down syndrome, I know the specific needs and requirements of the children and I have long supported Down Syndrome Ireland and our local branch Down Syndrome Louth/Meath. I commend the organisation for their excellent work over many years and I applaud the Minister for meeting with them and indeed with parents and families, to get a better understanding of the specific requirements of children with the syndrome.

“While this is just an interim measure, the Minister has said that over the next couple of years, a new model of allocating supports will be piloted and implemented. It will remove the need for parents to pay for assessments, and for children to receive a diagnosis in order to receive additional teaching support and is most welcome.”