A Special Class for children on the autistic spectrum was set up in St. Senans in 2004, funded by the Department of Education. We now have three Special Classes for ASD, following an Applied Behaviour Analysis Verbal Behaviour programme catering for seventeen children. Each child has his/her own Special Needs Assistant and the programme in each class is directed by a teacher.

We plant bulbs now so that we can have wonderful colour in the spring.

We used bulbs which we won as part of our Green School project.

Integration

Being part of a large mainstream school such as St. Senan’s enables us to run an effective integration programme. This starts with reverse integration and peer pairing, with a view to gradually integrating the child into its mainstream class. The level of integration will vary according to the individual needs of the child.

Individual Education Plans

Children in the unit have their Individual Educational Plan, covering their priority learning needs in all domains (learning to learn, communication skills, social skills, academic, self care, motor, play and leisure skills etc). Our programme also works on reducing problem behaviours following ABA guidelines.

Future Plans

Plans for a new specialised building attached to the mainstream school have been sanctioned by the Department of Education and we anticipate building will begin this year.