AQW 29474/17-22

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 09/02/2022
Answered On Date: 24/02/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education (i) what training in Tourette Syndrome is provided to educational psychologists; and (ii) how often is this training updated.

Answer:

Tourette Syndrome is a low incidence Special Educational Need (SEN) and therefore the Education Authority’s (EA) Educational Psychology Service currently do not provide Whole Service Training as it has not been a priority for schools. Individual Educational Psychologists (EP) however, are able to provide schools with advice, support and training should they raise concerns around a specific SEN or medical condition and where schools feel they are not fully equipped to support a specific changing need, such as Tourette Syndrome.

Each school has a named EP who works closely with their school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) and Pastoral Leads to determine how best they can provide support, and SENCos should raise any concerns with their EP as part of a consultation process.