Would you like to support The Irish Society for Autism this Christmas?

You can help us by raffling one of our large teddies in your workplace, among a group of friends & family, or as part of your Christmas Party.

For further details, please call us on 01-8744684, or email fundraising@autism.ie

Sachita Suryanarayan is an Educational Psychologist in training at the School of Education in UCD and is interested in finding out about your experiences with and thoughts about the services available to support your child.

-You can participate in this research if the following applies to you:

-You have immigrated to Dublin approximately between 1 to 7 years ago.

-You have a child diagnosed with a Low Incidence Special Educational Need i.e.

→ Autism Spectrum Disorder

→ Moderate, severe or profound general learning disability

→ Significant physical or sensory impairment

→ Emotional disturbance and/or behaviour problems

-Your child is between 4 – 12 year of age

-You are comfortable in speaking and understanding the English language

If you wish to participate or find out more about the above research study please contact Sachita Suryanarayan by Phone: 089 458 4647, or Email: sachita.suryanarayan@ucdconnect.ie

Claire Gleeson is a PhD student studying in the Discipline of Occupational Therapy at Trinity College Dublin, and is interested in speaking with women who identify as having Autism Spectrum Disorder / Aspergers Syndrome about their experiences of higher education.

If you wish to share your experiences as a woman with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Aspergers Syndrome and would like to get involved in the research study please contact:

Claire Gleeson at 01-8963217 / Email: clgleeso@tcd.ie for further information.

See the article taken from their website below;

Improving match day for children with autism | Football Association of Ireland.

Congratulations to Senator James Reilly on the successful second reading of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017.

Members of the Irish Society for Autism were in the Seanad gallery last night, Wednesday 17th May 2017, to support Senator Reilly and to hear tribute and support from his fellow senators from all parties. When this bill is finally passed it will give hope and security to all people with ASD and their families.

A great day for Senator Reilly and his family, a great day for the future of people with ASD. Ireland will at last fulfil the wishes expressed by the European Parliament when they approved the European Charter of Rights for People with Autism.

It points out that people with autism should have the same rights enjoyed by all EU citizens where such are appropriate and in the best interest of people with autism; these rights should be enhanced and enforced by appropriate legislation in each member state and include;

A. The right to live independently;
B. The right to representation and involvement as far as possible in decisions affecting their future;
C. The right to accessible and appropriate education, housing, assistance and support services;
D. The right to freedom from fear, threat and abusive treatment;

Dr. Pat Matthews.
Executive Director.
Irish Society for Autism.

For further information on the Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017, please refer to the Oireactas website here.

While central to the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) restrictive and repetitive behaviours often change over time and increase and decrease in intensity.

This survey forms part of the process of developing this knowledge. The survey is for parents and or guardians of people with ASD engaged in some form of primary or secondary schooling (in the approximate age range of 6-18 years). This includes parents and guardians of people with the diagnosis of ASD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder not otherwise specified (PDDnos). The survey will take approximately 25 minutes to complete. Answers can be saved and the survey completed at a later time if needed.

For any concerns related to the ethical conduct of this research please contact the chair of the human research ethics committee Southern Cross University ethics.lismore@scu.edu.au. For any questions related to the survey please contact Andrew on andrew.cashin@scu.edu.au.  The findings will form the basis of journal publications, conference presentations and future research plans. All published findings will not be identifiable to any single participant.

To take the survey visit http://tiny.cc/ASD_survey

The Irish Society for Autism has been experiencing some difficulty in achieving regulation with HIQA. These have been very challenging times for all concerned including our residents and staff, many of whom have been with us for a long time. The Irish Society for Autism welcomes the improvements in legislation and the introduction of standards in services for adults with Autism. Hopefully these standards will ensure a better quality of life for all people with disabilities in residential services.

We have entered in an agreement with the HSE to ensure the continuation of services for our residents. We are a small organisation and we believe that, in the long term, this decision is in the best interest of our residents.

We are very grateful to all for their commitment and perseverance during this difficult period.