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Key Topics, Post Primary. Introduction to Autism, examining Communication differences Cancelled

Event summary

Date

Start Time

End Time

SICAP, South Kerry Development Partnership CLG, Killorglin, Kerry

Booking closes

Introduction to autism and understanding communication differences:

This session will look at the characteristics of autism and consider the autistic young person’s daily life and development. This session will consider how autism can impact the adolescent years and how autistic teenagers may think and learn. Strategies that may benefit when engaging with, supporting, and teaching an autistic teenager will also be explored. Additionally, this session will look at communication differences and how communication involves a complex range of both verbal and non-verbal elements. Autistic people often communicate in a different way to non-autistic people and will each have their own communication style and preferences. When these differences are not understood or accommodated, autistic people can experience challenges in social interaction.  Many autistic people wish to be socially interactive, make friends and form relationships.  Many also have a desire to be included within the classroom and wider community, but experience barriers when communication differences are not supported. This session explores communication differences for autistic people and how supportive strategies can be put in place to aid mutual understanding and facilitate positive social interactions.  

Notes

Location

SICAP, South Kerry Development Partnership CLG

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Tara Vernon

Tara Vernon

Tara Vernon is an Autism Trainer/Advisor with Middletown Centre for Autism. Prior to this, Tara has worked across home, school and external agency settings to provide autism specific specialist teaching, training, and behavioural support in these environments. Tara has also worked as a Class Teacher for nine years in an Applied Behaviour Analysis school for autistic children with complex needs. Tara holds a degree in Psychology and is a CABAS board certified Teacher in Applied Behaviour Analysis. She is a member of both the Psychological Society of Ireland and the Teaching Council of Ireland and is a Certified Sleep Counsellor.
Joan McDonald

Joan McDonald

Joan is a second level science teacher working independently as Posautive. Following many years teaching in mainstream classrooms, Joan worked on individual planning in centres for adults with learning disabilities and those with mental health struggles. She, then, became one of the first SENOs in Ireland, observing and providing school supports for students with atypical needs across eighty rural schools. While studying for an M.Ed. in Autism, Joan was taught by and met a variety of autistic adults, which ultimately led to her own autism assessment. Prior to meeting such a diverse range of autistic people, Joan would only have recognised autism in people with profound and complex support needs. Joan is passionate about using students’ interests to support autistic learners of all levels of cognitive ability to access education and contented lives. She currently works on a variety of projects with agencies such as Middletown Centre for Autism, Dublin City University, Nua Healthcare, Fingal Libraries. In recent years, creating and delivering the Posauteen and Posaudult courses to help autistic people understand and advocate for themselves has been a major focus of Joan’s time.
Vicki Smith

Vicki Smith

Vicki Smith is a specialist speech and language therapist with Middletown Centre for Autism. Vicki has a BSc. in Clinical Speech and Language Studies from Trinity’s College Dublin. Previously, Vicki has worked as a speech and language therapist in childrens disability network teams, early intervention, and primary care services. She has worked with children and young people 0-19 years with complex needs and provided multidisciplinary assessments and intervention and speech and language specific assessments and interventions. She has worked across a range of home and school environments. Vicki has experience in autism diagnostic assessments and the provision of post-diagnostic training for parents and the child or young person.

Key Topics, Post Primary. Autism, Sensory Processing and Anxiety Management CANCELLED

Event summary

Date

Start Time

End Time

SICAP, South Kerry Development Partnership CLG, Killorglin, Kerry

Booking closes

Autism, Sensory Processing and Anxiety Management:

Sensory processing refers to the ability of a young person to register, interpret and respond to sensory information. This is a complex process involving all the sensory systems (auditory, gustatory, visual, olfactory, tactile, proprioception, vestibular and interoception). When sensory processing is working well, a young person can engage in daily functional activities and social interaction. Sensory processing differences are prevalent in autistic young people and can affect every aspect of daily life. This session examines these sensory processing differences and will demonstrate how such differences impact on learning, leisure activities and choices, social interactions, and life skills in school and home settings. This session will also look at the anxiety experienced by autistic young people in many situations, with some experiencing significant anxiety difficulties.  This session will explore strategies that can be used to alleviate the experience of anxiety in autistic young people. This will include an introduction to cognitively based strategies, relaxation based strategies and how to develop person-centred strategies to deal with anxiety. 

Notes

Location

SICAP, South Kerry Development Partnership CLG

Get Directions
Tara Vernon

Tara Vernon

Tara Vernon is an Autism Trainer/Advisor with Middletown Centre for Autism. Prior to this, Tara has worked across home, school and external agency settings to provide autism specific specialist teaching, training, and behavioural support in these environments. Tara has also worked as a Class Teacher for nine years in an Applied Behaviour Analysis school for autistic children with complex needs. Tara holds a degree in Psychology and is a CABAS board certified Teacher in Applied Behaviour Analysis. She is a member of both the Psychological Society of Ireland and the Teaching Council of Ireland and is a Certified Sleep Counsellor.
Joan McDonald

Joan McDonald

Joan is a second level science teacher working independently as Posautive. Following many years teaching in mainstream classrooms, Joan worked on individual planning in centres for adults with learning disabilities and those with mental health struggles. She, then, became one of the first SENOs in Ireland, observing and providing school supports for students with atypical needs across eighty rural schools. While studying for an M.Ed. in Autism, Joan was taught by and met a variety of autistic adults, which ultimately led to her own autism assessment. Prior to meeting such a diverse range of autistic people, Joan would only have recognised autism in people with profound and complex support needs. Joan is passionate about using students’ interests to support autistic learners of all levels of cognitive ability to access education and contented lives. She currently works on a variety of projects with agencies such as Middletown Centre for Autism, Dublin City University, Nua Healthcare, Fingal Libraries. In recent years, creating and delivering the Posauteen and Posaudult courses to help autistic people understand and advocate for themselves has been a major focus of Joan’s time.
Vicki Smith

Vicki Smith

Vicki Smith is a specialist speech and language therapist with Middletown Centre for Autism. Vicki has a BSc. in Clinical Speech and Language Studies from Trinity’s College Dublin. Previously, Vicki has worked as a speech and language therapist in childrens disability network teams, early intervention, and primary care services. She has worked with children and young people 0-19 years with complex needs and provided multidisciplinary assessments and intervention and speech and language specific assessments and interventions. She has worked across a range of home and school environments. Vicki has experience in autism diagnostic assessments and the provision of post-diagnostic training for parents and the child or young person.

Key Topics, Post Primary. Autism, Relationships and Sexuality Education and Life Skills-CANCELLED

Event summary

Date

Start Time

End Time

SICAP, South Kerry Development Partnership CLG, Killorglin, Kerry

Booking closes

Autism and Life Skills including Relationships and Sexuality Education:

 

The term Life Skills refers to a varied set of skills used to navigate practical, educational, and social challenges daily for example personal care, self-advocacy, practical living and creating and maintaining friendships. Whilst the skills are varied and often overlap, using them effectively and successfully enable the young person to deal autonomously with many challenges and opportunities of everyday life.  This impacts positively on the young person’s sense of dignity, worthiness, self-esteem, and well-being.   This session will examine the impact of adolescence on the autistic young person at the stage of their life where these skills are needed.  The session will explore the broad definition of Life Skills within the contexts of work, leisure, personal care and relationships.  Participants will be shown how to incorporate visual and behavioural strategies to support the autistic teenager develop and use Life Skills. It will also focus on the delivery of relationships and sexuality education for young people on the autism spectrum.  

 
 

Notes

Location

SICAP, South Kerry Development Partnership CLG

Get Directions
Tara Vernon

Tara Vernon

Tara Vernon is an Autism Trainer/Advisor with Middletown Centre for Autism. Prior to this, Tara has worked across home, school and external agency settings to provide autism specific specialist teaching, training, and behavioural support in these environments. Tara has also worked as a Class Teacher for nine years in an Applied Behaviour Analysis school for autistic children with complex needs. Tara holds a degree in Psychology and is a CABAS board certified Teacher in Applied Behaviour Analysis. She is a member of both the Psychological Society of Ireland and the Teaching Council of Ireland and is a Certified Sleep Counsellor.
Joan McDonald

Joan McDonald

Joan is a second level science teacher working independently as Posautive. Following many years teaching in mainstream classrooms, Joan worked on individual planning in centres for adults with learning disabilities and those with mental health struggles. She, then, became one of the first SENOs in Ireland, observing and providing school supports for students with atypical needs across eighty rural schools. While studying for an M.Ed. in Autism, Joan was taught by and met a variety of autistic adults, which ultimately led to her own autism assessment. Prior to meeting such a diverse range of autistic people, Joan would only have recognised autism in people with profound and complex support needs. Joan is passionate about using students’ interests to support autistic learners of all levels of cognitive ability to access education and contented lives. She currently works on a variety of projects with agencies such as Middletown Centre for Autism, Dublin City University, Nua Healthcare, Fingal Libraries. In recent years, creating and delivering the Posauteen and Posaudult courses to help autistic people understand and advocate for themselves has been a major focus of Joan’s time.
Vicki Smith

Vicki Smith

Vicki Smith is a specialist speech and language therapist with Middletown Centre for Autism. Vicki has a BSc. in Clinical Speech and Language Studies from Trinity’s College Dublin. Previously, Vicki has worked as a speech and language therapist in childrens disability network teams, early intervention, and primary care services. She has worked with children and young people 0-19 years with complex needs and provided multidisciplinary assessments and intervention and speech and language specific assessments and interventions. She has worked across a range of home and school environments. Vicki has experience in autism diagnostic assessments and the provision of post-diagnostic training for parents and the child or young person.