May 18, 2018, (Ireland) Independent: Schools get 1,000 extra special needs assistants https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/education/schools-get-1000-extra-special-needs-assistants-36919484.html
Nearly 1,000 new special needs assistants (SNAs) will be appointed this year.
Education Minister Richard Bruton said that 800 additional special needs assistants will be allocated for the beginning of the next school year, with a further 140 expected to be allocated between September and December.
The figures represent an increase of just over 7pc on last year to meet the level of assessed demand.
It will bring to 15,000 the number of special needs assistants working in schools nationwide.
A total of €524m is being invested in SNAs annually. When the new posts are introduced, some 36,000 pupils will be able to avail of the support. …
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Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Loss of Brain Trust features over 9,000 news stories published worldwide since January, 2017