Education minister backs autism facilities at Spanish Point

EDUCATION Minister Ruairí Quinn has approved a substantial increase in new state-of-the-art facilities for the proposed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) unit at St Joseph’s Secondary School, Spanish Point.

EDUCATION Minister Ruairí Quinn has approved a substantial increase in new state-of-the-art facilities for the proposed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) unit at St Joseph’s Secondary School, Spanish Point.
Initially, it was planned to provide accommodation comprising two ASD classrooms to cater for 12 students in total. Now, it has been decided to increase the grant so that extra facilities including a so-called “withdrawal” or sensory room and ancillary rooms can be provided.
St Joseph’s school principal, Mary Crawford described the ministerial announcement as a great boost for the new unit. Ms Crawford said the school management were advised to submit a revised accommodation schedule by Minister Quinn following a meeting between both parties last June.
She told The Clare Champion the school management wasn’t in a position to reveal the full extent of the increase in the funding allocation until the tender process was completed.
The new development will be the first purpose-built ASD facility for secondary schools in West Clare. Students with ASD are already availing of an ASD unit at St Joseph’s Secondary School in Tulla, which has been praised by parents.
It is expected the new facility in Spanish Point will cater for students with ASD in West and North Clare and should eliminate the need for pupils with the condition to travel long distances to educational facilities in Ennis.
Ms Crawford hopes the new building will be operational by September 2013 once there is no major unexpected hitch in the tendering process, planning permission and construction phase.
“This new building represents one of the biggest investments for education in Clare this year and will also provide a boost to the local economy. The project will be put on e-tender later this week because of the scale of the project.

“I would be hoping to start construction work in April and it is our intention to open next September. It would have to be ready by this date because it wouldn’t be fair to upset the routine of students with ASD,” she said.
A series of lectures and workshops in autism, facilitated by Dr Moya O’Brien ICEP and Ms Miriam Twomey, University College Cork will be provided in St Joseph’s next month.
Entitled Autism – Inclusion in Secondary Schools, it will provide an introduction to autism and the learning, cognitive, sensory, social issues that the teacher, SNA, parent would need to understand in developing the autism-friendly school
It will cover approaches to adapt the curriculum for students with ASD, study Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA and behaviour, ABA in the mainstream classroom and ABA as intervention for autism.
A large number of teachers, professionals and people in the local community have already registered for the course.
Deputy Michael McNamara has described the decision as evidence that the Government is prioritising those with greatest needs, especially children, in these difficult economic times.
“This is very positive. I was delighted to arrange a meeting with school principal Mary Crawford, her deputy, and Ruairí Quinn last June at which the minister and his advisers heard first hand of the needs of young people with ASD and their parents in the large catchment of West Clare. That meeting has now borne fruit. Autism classrooms need special back-up facilities and these will now be provided.”
He predicted the unit would make a profoundly positive impact on the lives of many young people from Loop Head to Black Head.
“The current situation in Clare is that students with ASD attend either mainstream primary, special schools or a primary school with an ASD unit. However, when West Clare students move to secondary school, specialised services are only available in Ennis. The proposed Spanish Point unit will meet the needs of the western side of the county and end current daily round trips to Ennis,” he said.
Deputy McNamara congratulated the management and staff at St Joseph’s Spanish Point for their work on the project and their commitment to students with disability.