In Ireland, April is recognized as Autism Awareness Month, with April 2nd specifically marked as World Autism Awareness Day, a time to raise awareness and promote understanding of autism.
This Wednesday April 9th we are marking Autism Awareness Month with a special Colour Walk where we all gather and take a stroll around the local school area. We are asking all classes to dress in different colours to mark this day:
Junior/Senior Infants: Green
Senior Infants/1st Class: Orange
2nd Class: Purple
3rd/4th Class: Yellow
4th/5th Class: Red
6th Class: Blue
An Choill pupils: to wear the same colour as their mainstream class
We ask that the children bring in a few euros each and this money can go to Cottage Autism Network which is a wonderful local support for children and families.
This week we will focus on autism awareness in our classes, showing webinars and also creating a whole school art piece together.
In our school we are blessed to have two classes for pupils with autism and we also support other children in the mainstream classes.
What is Autism?
Autism can affect the way a person thinks, communicates, interacts, and experiences the world around them. Autism is referred to as a spectrum, and it affects different people in different ways.
Common Characteristics that Autistic People May Share
Differences in Communication Style
Difficulty with Social Interactions
Sensory Processing Differences
Repetitive Behaviour & Special Interests
Supports and resources for parents
Check out these excellent resources: https://asiam.ie/advice-guidance/resource-library and webinars https://asiam.ie/advice-guidance/webinar
Thanks everyone for your support,
Audrey and staff