§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will issue a statement on the pioneer project at Somerset Court where autistic children are provided with education until such time as they can be self-supporting; and whether there are any plans for similar projects;
(2) whether hospitals for mentally handicapped children provide special facilities for the education of autistic children;
(3) whether he is now in a position to provide more recent statistics as to the number of children diagnosed as autistic in England and Wales than the total for 1971–72 he provided in his Written Answer on 3rd July 1974.
§ Mr. ArmstrongI am writing to the hon. Member.
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§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many of the children diagnosed as autistic in England and Wales are educated at special schools for the autistic.
§ Mr. ArmstrongI am writing to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the most recent estimate of the cost of keeping an autistic child (a) as a day pupil and (b) as a resident at a school for autistic children.
§ Mr. PrenticeThis information is not available in respect of maintained schools. It is understood that annual fees payable by local education authorities in respect of placements in a group of independent schools catering for autistic children will be as follows from 1st January 1975:
£ Day pupils … … 1,500 Weekly boarding pupils … … 1,950 Full boarding pupils … … 2,439
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the latest estimate of the number of qualified teachers of autistic children in England and Wales.
§ Mr. ArmstrongI am writing to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether any special provision is made in a normal school for the teaching of autistic children;
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of autistic children who are receiving education in a normal school.
§ Mr. PrenticeSpecial classes providing for handicapped children are attached to a number of ordinary schools and some of these classes provide for autistic children. Returns from local education authorities indicate that in January 1974, 34 autistic children in England and Wales were receiving education in special classes attached to maintained schools. Such children are also sometimes placed satisfactorily in ordinary classes, but the numbers concerned are not available.