Talks about providing long-term funding for ABA schools have been taking place for the last 18 months between Irish Autism Action and officials from the Department of Education.

Under the Programme for Government, the coalition partners had promised to officially recognise 12 pilot centres providing education mainly through ABA. In recent months this figure changed to 13.

Barnacoyle Parents’ Group - including Cian and Yvonne Ó Cuanacháin - says their ABA school is being targeted because of the public stance taken by parents in highlighting the need for specialised education in the area.

The Ó Cuanacháins took a high-profile High Court case against the State over their son’s right to an appropriate education but the High Court ruled that educational provision for Seán was “adequate”.

Commenting on the parent group's claim, the Department of Education said there was no such recognised school as “Barnacoyle ABA School” and consequently it could not take part in Department talks on the future funding of 13 recognised ABA pilot schools.

Children at Barnacoyle were part of St Catherine’s Special School, which caters for all pupils – including those with autism – and which was not part of the talks on ABA schools, a Department of Education Spokesperson said. This had been the position since the talks began in 2007, he added.

According to Yvonne Ó Cuanacháin, the real issue is that the department has been refusing to recognise an ABA school in Co Wicklow for the past eight years.

“The first application was made by St Catherine’s in 2001 and again in 2006 by the Barnacoyle parents’ group, in conjunction with St Catherine’s,” she said.

“The real question is why is Wicklow being excluded? We’re not looking for special treatment. We just want to be treated the same as other ABA schools, no more, no less.”

A spokesman for the Minister said agreement has been reached in the talks on the core conditions to enable the 13 ABA centres to be recognised as special schools for children with autism. Discussions are ongoing in relation to existing contractual arrangements, he added.

ABA schools that are officially recognised will have access to funding for teachers and ABA tutors. ABA schools outside the process will have to fund-raise themselves to pay for teachers’ salaries.

ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) is a highly intensive form of education for children with autism which is strongly favoured over mainstream education by many parents. About 2,100 children with autism attend mainstream schools across the country and receive additional teaching or special needs assistant support. (Source: Irish Times)