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Cashel Community School, Cashel, Tipperary
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Autism and Sensory Processing Post Primary School environments are often sensory intense: crowded corridors, loud bells, fluorescent lighting, unpredictable social spaces, and sustained cognitive demand. For autistic students, these sensory conditions directly affect regulation, attention, and attendance. Sensory distress is not a behavioural issue; it is a mismatch between the environment and the student's nervous system. Participants will develop shared understanding of: How sensory processing differences influence regulation and learning. Why students respond differently to the same environment. The importance of understanding individual sensory experiences and access needs rather than relying on generic interventions Practical ways to adapt physical spaces, routines, and expectations to increase safety and access.
Location
Cashel Community School
Dualla Road
Cashel
Tipperary
E25 YT50
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Joan McDonald
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.
Event summary
Date
Start Time
End Time
Cashel Community School , Cashel , Tipperary