An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-24
============================================================

Alison Comyn (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach

We have just marked world Down's syndrome day this past Sunday. I always love to see those incredible children and families who are rocking the odd socks. It does raise awareness.
I wish to raise an urgent issue regarding an apparent lack of appropriate special class provision for children with Down's syndrome across the country. New figures from the National Council for Special Education were sent to me by the Louth-Meath branch of Down Syndrome Ireland and they show what seems to be a stark imbalance. Of 88 new special classes sanctioned this month, 87 offer autism support and just one is for general learning disability. Autism classes are, as we know, vital, but this level of concentration is creating a system that does not really reflect the full range of needs among children with additional educational requirements.
Many children with Down's syndrome thrive in mainstream settings but others need access to special classes within mainstream schools where they can receive targeted support while remaining part of the school community. In many areas, however, the only option available is an autism class and most children with Down's syndrome cannot access these unless they have a dual diagnosis and even then they are not always the most appropriate setting for them.
What seems to be missing is a balanced provision of classes for general learning disabilities and speech and language needs. As a result, families are left with no suitable local placement, sometimes facing long journeys or accepting placements that do not really meet the exact needs of their own children. It does not seem to be very equitable and it probably needs to be looked at. I am calling on the Leader to invite the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Deputy Norma Foley, to the House to outline how we can possibly deliver a more balance, needs-led approach to special class provision.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-24