The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Most Rev John Neill, has said the provision of services for special needs children in school was "inadequate to the point of becoming a national disgrace."
In his presidential address to the diocesan synods of Dublin and Glendalough last night, Dr Neill said: "We cannot claim to be a caring society or even an economically successful society unless we are prepared to address very seriously the provision of proper support for children with special needs."
The lack of support at a vital time in the lives of these children was not only "having a devastating effect on them and on their families, but is allowing them to grow into adulthood without the skills and gifts of which they are fully capable".
Dr Neill expressed the hope that the new Minister for Education and Science, Ms Hanafin, would "help the schools of our nation to be not only welcome but to give a real equality to these who are all our children".
He said the proper support required was woefully inadequate and that inadequacy started with the inadequate staffing of the special education section in the Department, "where overburdened staff do not have time for telephone queries".
"This has a hugely detrimental effect on children, particularly those who have to move to a new situation, and it can take years for the resources to match the need."
In smaller schools there were often significant numbers of pupils with special needs but these were "the very schools that do not qualify for the needed resources as much of the allocation is weighted to pupil numbers rather than actual need," he said.