Event summary
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Scoil Iósaf Primary School, Newcastle West, Limerick
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Supporting Autistic Learners This session offers a nuanced, strengths based exploration of how autistic children experience, understand, and engage with the worlds. Rather than viewing difference as deficit, the training foregrounds autistic cognition as a valid and valuable way of being. Drawing on evidence informed practice, the session highlights that often visual approaches can align well with the learning preferences of many autistic learners and demonstrates how thoughtfully designed visual supports can enhance meaning making, reduce cognitive load, and promote emotional safety and inclusion across all learning environments. Participants will deepen their understanding of: Why visual approaches are not merely "supports", but powerful communication and teaching tools that align naturally with many autistic learners' cognitive preferences. How visual supports can enhance understanding, autonomy, communication, and wellbeing across home, school, and community contexts. How visuals can be integrated with relational, environmental, and pedagogical approaches to create predictability, coherence, and felt safety. A flexible repertoire of visual strategies that honour each child's individuality, respecting their strengths, interests, sensory profile, and developmental pathway.
Location
Scoil Iósaf Primary School
Knockane Road
Newcastle West
Limerick
V42 T180
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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
Scoil Iósaf Primary School , Newcastle West , Limerick