(Ireland) "20% of young people at school age have a learning difference" AKA special need

April 9, 2026, ‘Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident, it requires leadership’ says chair of new Graduate Diploma in Leadership in Autism and Neuro-Inclusive Education | Dublin City University

As the number of children and adults identified as autistic or neurodivergent continues to grow, the question is no longer whether systems need to respond, but who is prepared to lead that response across schools and professional organisations.

For many professionals working across education, healthcare, and community settings, this challenge is already familiar: navigating complex needs, overlapping diagnoses, and systems that are often slow to adapt. What is less clear is how to lead change within organisations to meet this reality. That was the question front of mind for Dr Neil Kenny as he and colleagues at the DCU Institute of Education began developing the Graduate Diploma in leadership in Autism and Neuro-Inclusive Education. 

‘The foundational and driving force was centred on the fact that inclusion doesn’t happen by accident, it requires leadership,’ says Dr Kenny.

‘There is a growing recognition that autism awareness and awareness of neuro-divergence is important, and this has grown in recent years, however, systems and organisations have been slower to adapt to this reality. Inclusion in practice matters most in how it is led within organisations. . . .

The need for leadership in this area is not simply anecdotal, says Dr Kenny as around a fifth of young people have a learning difference in Ireland. Responding to this requires strategic action.

‘If we just look at the figures available, 20% of the young people in Ireland at school age have a learning difference. Among those cohorts, the majority of them are in mainstream classroom settings and, very often, they have more than one diagnosis. . . 

And while the programme was developed in response to gaps around how children and adults who are autistic or neurodivergent are supported, Dr Kenny says there have been great strides made in recent years to support this cohort of society, and adds that this programme will also have an impact as we continue to turn the dial on this conversation.

‘The awareness around autism, ADHD and other developmental differences has come along in leaps and bounds. I think as a society we recognise there are ways in which we could be closing these gaps. That needs to turn to practical action, working with interdisciplinary teachers, professionals and families.’