Last night we held our Puberty and Sexuality Community Support seminar in Co. Wicklow, and we’re very grateful to all who came along and to those who watched our livestream. If you couldn’t make it, here are some key notes from our two brilliant speakers! You can watch our livestream here, and view Davida Hartman’s Powerpoint …
What We Learned – Community Support: Puberty and SexualityRead More »
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/WithdrawalRead More »
Last week we held our first 2019 Community Support event in Ratoath, County Meath, on the topic of Independent Living and Housing, sponsored by SuperValu. Here’s the two PowerPoint presentations kindly provided by our speakers, Darragh Byrne from Gheel Autism Services and Gretta Fitzgerald from DOCTRID. If you didn’t make it on the night, the …
What We Learned – Community Support: Independent Living and HousingRead More »
Kelli Twomey, a mother of an autistic child, sent us this poem from her child’s perspective, and we think its message of acceptance and inclusion will resonate with many in the autistic community. Read on below! I may seem different, weird or funny, I might even sometimes seem odd. But it’s just that my thoughts …
AsIAm.ie is delighted to share this research opportunity with our users. If you are interested in taking part please read the information below and contact Katerina Cussen at 17073065@studentmail.ul.ie. Katerina Cussen is a Music Therapy MA student in her final year of training at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (University of Limerick). …
All autistic children experience challenges in communication. While many might have an extensive amount of vocabulary, they may interpret what other people are saying differently and unless taught directly, may not understand non-verbal communication correctly. Children are often confused with every day language’s structure; for example, saying “Jane will do it” instead of “I will do …
What Strategies can I use for my Non-Verbal Child to ease their Transition?Read More »
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has just completed a review of the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) Scheme in Ireland, and is available for download from their website. The role of an SNA is to support a child who has special educational needs who may struggle to take part in school activities with. These …
How Can I Apply for a Special Needs Assistant (SNA)?Read More »
Research continues to tell us that we must view ‘challenging behaviour’ as a way in which the child is trying to communicate their needs with us. It has been suggested that we must move away from using the term ‘challenging behaviour’ and instead view the child’s responses as reactions to the environment. If we begin …
How can My Child Be Supported if They’re Having a Meltdown?Read More »
Your child’s teacher may already be aware of autistic children’s sensory needs. However, if your child does have exceptional needs, then it is important that you discuss these with their teacher. Sharing the information and resources below with your child’s teacher will help them understand the importance of allowing them to stim. Among the differences …
How can I Explain My Child’s Sensory Needs to their New Teacher?Read More »
An Individual Education Plan, often referred to as an ‘IEP’, is a plan to support your child’s learning and development. The IEP is led by the child’s strengths and learning needs and is developed in collaboration with them, their parents, teachers, special needs assistant (if there is SNA support allocated to the child) and any …
What’s an Individual Education Plan (IEP) & how can I Set One Up for My Child?Read More »
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