Tag Archives: Clare Early Intervention Services (CEIS)

THE recent Autism Activity GAA Camp held at Cusack Park, Ennis has been hailed a success by the organisers and participants, writes Dan Danaher. Fifty-five children ranging in age from six to 13 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) enjoyed a wide variety of activities including parachute games, ball games, obstacle courses, foam javelin, tug-of-war, hurling and a variation of tag rugby thanks to the assistance of more than 40 coaches, volunteers and helpers during the three days. They were also given the opportunity to play hurling, if they wished during the second hour of the camp. Every morning children were given sensory activities to regulate their sensory needs before the start of the two-hour session. Clare GAA provided about 17 coaches, which included camogie players and ladies’ footballers. Clare Ladies’ footballer, Ellie O’Gorman helped out as a volunteer for the three days. She was joined by Aidan McCarthy, Aine O’Loughlin and Clare footballer Darragh Bohannon, who also visited the camp. …

THE first Irish social inclusion skills programme, to assist over 30 Clare teenagers with Aspergers, will be pioneered by a local disability advocacy group next month. The Disabled People of Clare will run a 15-week programme based on the acclaimed PEERS project. This innovative programme will provide a step-by-step coaching/mentoring approach to helping young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and similar challenges to develop positive social skills and relationships within family, community, educational and employment situations. The project will be a collaborative initiative involving members of the School Age Disability Team from Clare Early Intervention Services (CEIS) and DPOC representatives. The HSE Disability Team will provide a psychologist and a social worker to help run the project. DPOC is delighted to be able to work in partnership with the intervention team to produce what is expected to be pioneering quantitative information on how to address social skills deficits for teenagers with high-functioning ASD. If this programme meets initial expectations, …