Children with Learning Difficulties Missing Out on Support
Only school-aged children with extreme needs receive services from an educational psychologist. This means the majority
of children and young people with a wide range of learning difficulties are missing out on timely and needs-based access
to educational psychologists in the Ministry of Education’s Learning Support Service.
In its Briefing to the Incoming Education Minister released today, the Institute of Educational and Developmental Psychology (IEDP), a subgroup of the New Zealand
Psychological Society (NZPsS), calls on the new Minister to prioritise policies and programmes that ensure all learners
can access the support they need.
The IEDP briefing makes several recommendations to improve the current assessment system by providing psychological
support for schools. The IEDP identifies ways in which the educational psychology workforce could assist the Government
to meet its policy objectives in relation to education.
Educational psychologists play an important role in working with children and young people who have an intellectual
disability, learning disability, developmental disabilities (e.g. autistic spectrum), physical disabilities, sensory
impairment, social, emotional or behavioural difficulties, and family or community challenges.
The institute says the educational psychology workforce needs to be replenished to meet the needs of the community.
For example, the Ministry of Education currently employs 172 full time equivalent psychologists.1
“To meet the needs of a similar population, and provide an equivalent standard of care to Scotland, we would need to
double the number of psychologists employed in the public sector.2
“The demand for educational psychologists to provide service and supports in the natural learning environments of
tamariki and ākonga consistently exceeds the current capacity of staff in Learning Support for the Ministry of
Education,” explains NZPsS president Quentin Abraham.
The briefing adds that practical and relevant research for effective change in schools should be a priority.
“We would like the Ministry to provide an ethics committee so that educational psychologists can deliver evidence-based
interventions that are relevant in the Aotearoa New Zealand context.
“This vital research would meet the government’s aims to ensure that money is not wasted on untested, potentially
harmful, or ineffective and costly packages that have not been trialled in the local context.”
Psychologists focus on mental wellbeing across the lifespan and in a range of areas of people’s lives. Psychologists can
also assist people to understand what drives behaviours such as problem drinking and gambling, drug abuse, criminal
action or parenting issues so that strategies and policies can be developed to manage and improve these issues in the
community.
ENDS
References:
1. Ministry of Education. (2016). Briefing Note: Cabinet paper – Strengthening Inclusion and Modernising Learning
Support. Retrieved from http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Ministry/Initiatives/special-education-update/Note-to-Minister-Strengthening-Inclusion-and-Modernising-LearningSupport-July-2016.pdf
2. National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists. (2013). Workforce Planning for Educational
Psychology in Scotland September 2013. Retrieved from http://www.aspep.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Work-Force-Planning-Report-October-2013.pdf