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Middletown Centre for Autism
5 Week Parent Training Programme
Autism and the Post Primary School
Programme Content:
1. Autism and Social Communication
2. Autism and Anxiety Management
3. Autism and the Promotion of Positive Behaviour
4. Autism and Life Skills, including Relationships and Sexuality Education
5. Autism and Sensory Processing
This five-week programme has been designed for Education Professionals who are working with young people, 12-18 years, with autism.
The Centre also provides a similar 5-week course for parents.
Please check the Centre’s website for details. www.middletownautism.com 
 

Notes

Courses in package

Autism and Social Communication

Event summary

Date

Start Time

End Time

Scoil Pól, Kilfinane Co. Limerick, Limerick, Limerick

Booking closes

Autism and Social Communication

Social communication is a multi-faceted, complex interaction involving mastery in many of the following,
• Understanding non-verbal cues 
• Command of tone of voice 
• Command of facial expressions 
• Understanding different purposes of conversation 
• Sense of humour 
• Familiarity with social courtesies 
• Making the abstract concrete 
• Visual structure and predictable routines 
• Activities that provide support for language abilities 
• Interactions that provide focus on peers and self-awareness 
• Generalisations 
 

Social communication can, therefore, be challenging for many young people with autism. Many want to be socially interactive, make friends and form relationships, be included within the classroom and wider community, but find it difficult because of the many social conventions needed to achieve effective communication.
 

Young people with autism experiencing such difficulties may find it hard to understand the messages being given, such as the meaning we put into our voice, the expressions on our faces, and gestures such as waving, pointing or shrugging

Expected Outcomes
Participants will have an increased understanding of
• How social communication is defined.
• The social communication difficulties are experienced by those with autism
• Best practices in supporting the young person in the classroom, family home and wider community
• The importance of visual information as it remains available long enough to enable the young person to focus on it or return to it as needed to establish memory for the message it is communicating.
• Visual tools provide a non-transient foundation for more effective communication.
• How to use the strengths of the young person with autism to help him or her communicate effectively.

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Notes

Location

Scoil Pól, Kilfinane Co. Limerick

Get Directions
Dee Hogan

Dee Hogan

Dee Hogan is an Autism Trainer/Advisor in Middletown Centre for Autism. Dee has extensive experience teaching and supporting autistic children and young people. Her experiences include Pre-school, Early Intervention Autism Classes, Primary Autism Classes, Mainstream Primary and Special Schools. She has written, lectured and assessed modules on the Special Needs Assistant and Level Four Autism qualifications, as professional development for parents and professionals. Dee has also worked as a part time Lecturer with University College Cork designing and delivering the Diploma in Autism Studies as well as providing training for teachers, third level students, parents and professionals. Dee’s training specialisms are Reframing Behaviour, Early Intervention, Classroom Strategies, and Transitions. Dee holds a MEd in Special Education Autism from the University of Birmingham.

Autism and Anxiety Management

Event summary

Date

Start Time

End Time

Scoil Pól, Kilfinane Co. Limerick, Limerick, Limerick

Booking closes

Autism and Anxiety Management

Post Primary aged students with autism experience anxiety in many situations, with some experiencing significant anxiety difficulties.

This session is an introduction to strategies that can be used to alleviate the experience of anxiety in students with autism. This will include an introduction to cognitively based strategies and how to develop student centred strategies to deal with anxiety.

Expected Outcomes

Participants will:

• Understand how the difficulties experienced by those with autism, including sensory difficulties, can contribute to the development of anxiety.

• Understand how anxiety can escalate.

• Develop some simple strategies to prevent the escalation of anxiety.

• Understand the basics of cognitively based management approaches.

Course Overview

• Anxiety triggers and build up.

• “On the spot” anxiety management strategies.

• Developing a “stress kit”.

• Cognitively based approaches and the emotional toolkit

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Notes

Location

Scoil Pól, Kilfinane Co. Limerick

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.

Autism and Sensory Processing

Event summary

Date

Start Time

End Time

Scoil Pól, Kilfinane Co. Limerick, Limerick, Limerick

Booking closes

Autism and Post Primary School Programme Professionals

Autism and Sensory Processing

Sensory processing refers to the ability of an individual to register, interpret and respond to sensory information. This is a complex d process involving all the sensory systems (auditory, gustatory, visual, olfactory, tactile, proprioceptive, vestibular and interoception). When sensory processing is working well, an individual can engage in daily functional activities and social interaction. Sensory processing differences are  prevalent in children with autism and can affect every aspect of life and development.

This session examines the sensory processing differences frequently associated with autism and will demonstrate how such differences impact on learning, leisure activities and choices, social interactions and behaviour in school.

Expected Outcomes

Participants will:

•             Develop a basic understanding of some of the sensory processing differences in autism.

•             Understand how sensory processing differences can affect the young person’s experience in school.

•             Gain knowledge of strategies, which will assist in meeting the young person’s sensory needs.

Course Overview

•             Sensory processing differences and how they present in autism.

•             How sensory processing differences can affect the young person’s experience in school.

•             Intervention strategies to address sensory processing differences in a school context.

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Notes

Location

Scoil Pól, Kilfinane Co. Limerick

Get Directions
Kate Cullen

Kate Cullen

Kate Cullen is an Autism Specialist Occupational Therapist for children and young people. She has Postgraduate qualifications in Sensory Integration, including SIPT registration and is an Advanced Sensory Integration Practitioner. Kate works within a Child and Adolescent Autism diagnostic and intervention Service. She is a tutor and assessor for the graduate Certificate in Autism Studies course delivered in partnership with Middletown Centre for Autism and Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. Kate previously worked as an Occupational Therapist for Middletown Centre for Autism and in Special Schools with children and young people with physical disabilities, developmental disorders, and autism, aged 3-19 years, providing assessment, intervention within trans-disciplinary and multiagency teams. She has experience writing and delivering training on autism related topics to parents, professionals, undergraduate and postgraduate students. She has delivered programmes in schools and homes addressing difficulties in engaging in personal care, life skills, leisure, school, and work as result of motor coordination, sensory processing, sensory motor and perception for children and young people with autism. She has training in a variety of therapeutic approaches

Autism and the Promotion of Positive Behaviour

Event summary

Date

Start Time

End Time

Scoil Pól, Kilfinane Co. Limerick, Limerick, Limerick

Booking closes

Autism and the Promotion of Positive Behaviour

Young people with autism can experience elevated levels of anxiety and stress often resulting in distressed behaviours for a variety of reasons, including interaction with the environment. This session will examine how an understanding of autism can influence interactions and thus the behaviour of young people.

Expected Outcomes

Participants will;

•Understand reasons for what we see as inappropriate behaviour

•Learn practical strategies for recognising early warning signs and making positive interventions

•Recognise the “Rumbling, Raging and Recovery” aspects of behaviour and what we as practitioners can do

•Understand the behaviour and anxiety bank account

Course Overview;

•Clarity of information, including expectations and procedures.

•Consistency: A healthy, strong home school partnership is vital.

•Common sense: Remembering that sometimes the most effective is also the most straightforward and easiest.

•Continuation: Keeping the teaching and the positive supports in place to continue to help the young person to develop effective life skills

View PDF

Notes

Location

Scoil Pól, Kilfinane Co. Limerick

Get Directions
Dee Hogan

Dee Hogan

Dee Hogan is an Autism Trainer/Advisor in Middletown Centre for Autism. Dee has extensive experience teaching and supporting autistic children and young people. Her experiences include Pre-school, Early Intervention Autism Classes, Primary Autism Classes, Mainstream Primary and Special Schools. She has written, lectured and assessed modules on the Special Needs Assistant and Level Four Autism qualifications, as professional development for parents and professionals. Dee has also worked as a part time Lecturer with University College Cork designing and delivering the Diploma in Autism Studies as well as providing training for teachers, third level students, parents and professionals. Dee’s training specialisms are Reframing Behaviour, Early Intervention, Classroom Strategies, and Transitions. Dee holds a MEd in Special Education Autism from the University of Birmingham.

Autism and Life Skills, including Relationships and Sexuality Education

Event summary

Date

Start Time

End Time

Scoil Pól, Kilfinane Co. Limerick, Limerick, Limerick

Booking closes

Autism and Life Skills, including Relationships and Sexuality Education

Life skills are regarded as independent living skills or daily living skills.  It is also important to include executive function or thinking skills such as organising, planning, prioritising and decision making.
Categories of life skills include:
• Self-advocacy
• Personal finance
• Transport and community involvement
• Leisure and recreation opportunities and activities
• Home living skills
• Career path and employment

Relationships and Sexuality Education, including friendships
Effective teaching of issues around life skills and sexuality education involves close collaboration between schools and parents to ensure messages are clear for the students with autism. This session will examine the impact of adolescence on young people with autism and examine the broad definition of life skills, within the contexts of work, leisure and personal care, and how the core difficulties, associated with autism, may directly affect the development of life skills.  Participants will be shown how to incorporate behavioural interventions with visual strategies to help teenagers with autism cope with some of the typical issues of adolescence and the acquisition of life skills. It will also focus on the delivery of relationships and sexuality education for students with autism

Expected Outcomes
Participants will

• Have a greater understanding of how the core difficulties associated with autism affect the development of life skills in work, leisure and personal care.
• Learn and develop methods to assess and teach life skills in the School and family environment.
• Be more able to facilitate students to achieve greater independence in relevant daily activities such as play, work tasks, personal hygiene, toileting and organisational skills.
• Have an increased understanding of the opportunities available to improve and develop students’ life skills within the school and home environment.
• Understand the impact of adolescence on young people with autism.
• Learn some strategies involving behavioural and visual strategies that will provide supports to adolescents with autism.
• Provide strategies for the delivery of sex and relationships education to students with autism

View PDF

Notes

Location

Scoil Pól, Kilfinane Co. Limerick

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.