Mark O’Keefe, celebrity hairdresser and owner of the Sugar Club, made headlines last week in his heartfelt letter to his five-year old son Riley. Riley received an autism diagnosis two and a half years ago, and has so far been unsuccessful in gaining a school place. Last Friday I sat down with Riley’s parents, Mark …
Here at AsIAm we’ve been inspired this week by William Florish, who just graduated from Transition Year and made an amazing valedictory speech to his classmates and the school community. William is autistic, and had words of encouragement and thanks to his special needs assistant Orla and for his fellow “invisible kid” classmates. Members of …
Yesterday Minister for Education Joe McHugh TD published a statement reminding schools and patrons nationwide of their responsibilities under admissions laws to provide specialist school places for children and young people with special needs. This statement came just a few hours after the morning’s protest by nationwide campaign group Enough Is Enough – Every Voice …
On Thursday morning, Senator Máire Devine submitted a Commencement Matter to Seanad Éireann on the lack of provision of school places for autistic children. She also cited our Invisible Children report on School Absences and Withdrawals in Ireland’s Autism Community, launched this week. The Minister answering was Catherine Byrne TD, Minister of State at the Department of …
Calling all schools, teachers, and educators! April is World Autism Month, and we have developed an online Resource Pack for Primary and Secondary Schools to use, to increase acceptance and understanding of autism in the school community. The pack includes resources such as videos, worksheets, posters, and activities for your class and school. If you …
Resource Pack for Primary and Secondary Schools 2019 Read More »
Hello, and welcome to Our Week Online. This week we celebrated Pancake Tuesday, World Book Day, and International Women’s Day. Tomorrow’s Monday, but we’re going to do our best to celebrate that too. In the UK, the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency have U-turned on their decision to force autistic licensed drivers to disclose their …
Transition Year can be an interesting time for people on the autism spectrum. The free curriculum can offer opportunities for growth and self-discovery, whilst the lack of structure can prove difficult for many. Charlie Silke is a Transition Year student on the spectrum, and he’s written about his experiences in Transition Year so far. In …
In December of last year, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teacher’s Union of Ireland (TUI) advised their members against drafting and implementing Individual Education Plans (IEPs) – and any similar initiatives – rejecting “the imposition of a special education needs model which takes no account of the time, workload and practical implications …
Last week AsIAm launched two surveys on the experiences of autistic students in accessing education. Eoin Hickey, a young person on the autism spectrum, explains how autism affects him in his daily life, how teachers can understand students with diagnoses of autism and ADHD, and offers advice for social situations. My name is Eoin Hickey …
As the national autistic advocacy organisation, AsIAm receives a huge volume of messages from families with a child on the autism spectrum who can’t access a school place, or whose child can no longer attend school. We know the situation has escalated over the past number of years, affecting many families across the country. As …
Call Out: Complete Our Surveys on School Places and Exclusion/Withdrawal Read More »
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