Sir, - In a recent letter, Anne Hughes, administrator of the Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities (ACLD), mentioned the widely-held belief that our education system is probably one of the best in the world. If that is the case, why am I hearing about children for whom no help seems to be available?
I am a co-ordinator of the ACLD workshop in Newbridge, Co Kildare. In recent years I have come to realise that, although we are able to help many dyslexic children, there is a growing number that we cannot help. I have had many worrying phone calls from teachers and parents concerning students whose standard of learning is so low that attendance at our workshop would deflate what little self-esteem they have. They would quickly find that they were unable even to do work suitable for students with specific learning disabilities. Unfortunately, some have already tried our workshop and I had the unhappy task of explaining things to parents (who were often in tears) and thereby adding - with regret - to the child's sense of failure.
In my opinion, such students would benefit from intensive one-to-one tuition - a commodity few of the parents concerned can afford. Thanks to the fund-raising efforts of our ACLD branch, we have been able to arrange tuition for two such students in need. But this effort is only a drop in the ocean as I know that there are many more children out there in need of similar help.
The initiative of the Minister for Education in providing schools with computers is to be commended; but of what use are computers to students whose literacy standards are too low to avail of them? Is there a danger of getting so carried away by the enthusiasm for technology that the genuine needs of some children are neglected? If that is the case, our education system will certainly have failed these children. That would be an intolerable situation for all concerned. - Yours, etc.,
Naas, Co Kildare.