(Ireland) "Vast majority of special classes. . .92%, cater for autistic children"

Mar 23, 2026, RTE: Call for research into special schools' gender disparity

Boys are far more likely to attend special schools or to be placed in special classes in mainstream schools compared to girls.

Department of Education data shows that in special schools, boys outnumber girls two to one.

In special classes in mainstream schools the differential is even greater, with three boys enrolled for every one girl.

The vast majority of special classes in mainstream schools - 92% - cater for autistic children.

The data has given rise to calls for more research in the area to understand the reasons behind the disparity as well as any potential impact.

"We have a huge lack of evidence here, a lack of research," Selina McCoy, Associate Research Professor at the ESRI and Adjunct Professor at Trinity College, said.

"We definitely need to look at which students are being supported in special classes and how they are experiencing those settings," she added.

Of the 21,315 children enrolled in special classes in mainstream schools, 15,585, or 73%, are boys.

Of the 10,026 children attending special schools, 6,741 are boys.

In these schools too, autism appears to be a significant driver of the gender differential.

Adam Harris said 'many autistic girls continue to wait longer for diagnosis than boys'

Autism advocacy groups suggest later diagnosis of the condition in girls is likely to be a key cause of the gender imbalance.

Adam Harris, the CEO of autism advocacy group AsIAm, said: "Many autistic girls continue to wait longer for diagnosis than boys. . . .

Imbalance raises questions

While autism used to be regarded as significantly more prevalent in boys, the consensus now is that there is no great disparity.

But the gender imbalance in special education is at odds with this and raises many questions.

Among them whether girls or indeed boys are being placed at a disadvantage.

Are some girls' needs being ignored to their detriment? . . .

Ten years ago, the ESRI and Trinity College Dublin conducted a study which looked at the profile of students going into special classes and their experiences in those settings.

Back then, the number of special classes in mainstream schools stood at 942.

Now there are four times that number - 3,742 - and an additional at least 400 are expected to open next year.

With that level of growth, it is not surprising that Ms McCoy, co-author of that study, said the research from 10 years ago is now "very much out of date".

She is concerned that with the massive growth in special classes and with the opening of more special schools, little if anything is known about the outcomes for children taking these pathways.

Ms McCoy said: "[10 years ago] there certainly was evidence that some students were going into special classes who may have been better placed in mainstream and vice versa, so we definitely need to look at who goes into these settings and whether their needs are met.

"We also need to look at whether special classes are operating as a fluid and flexible form of provision, which they are intended to be by policy.

"The research from 10 years ago suggested that once a student went into a special class setting, they remained there, and that is not what the policy intended.

"The intention was that students dip in and out of those settings as and when the need arose, learning needs or socio-emotional needs." . . .

"We really need to understand why more boys are going into these settings, and whether that is having a negative impact on them or not," she said. . . .

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Mr Harris blames the historic under-identification of autistic girls upon the fact that initial research "completely overlooked" the female autistic experience. . . .

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition and any genetic component is regarded as complex, diverse and not fully understood. . . .