§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans the Northern Ireland Department of Education currently has to support children who are dyspraxic. [HL3788]
§ Lord Williams of MostynAll schools, having concern about any type of special educational need which a pupil may have, operate the five-stage approach as outlined in the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs. At stage 3 the school may seek external support from the appropriate education and library board's educational psychology service which, if dyspraxic tendencies are suspected, will make a referral to the community paediatrician and may also involve an occupational therapist. The various professionals involved with a pupil then give the school advice and guidelines on how best to support the pupil. Programmes are designed on an individual basis and the child's specific needs are taken into account when educational plans are drawn up.
105WAIn conjunction with its inspectorate and the education and library boards, the Department of Education is evaluating the effectiveness of two alternative models of intervention on children with dyslexia, which is often found alongside dyspraxia.