Event summary
Date
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Kilshannig Sports Complex, Glantane, Cork
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Autism and Understanding Anxiety
This training course will help parents and education professionals understand the stresses autistic children and young people may experience, particularly within the Primary School environment. We will discuss the external environmental demands and stress experienced by many autistic children which can contribute to anxiety experiences.
Participants will understand:
- The relationship between autism and anxiety, and how anxiety affects our body and mind.
- Fatigue and masking in relation to anxiety from an autistic point of view.
- How environmental, communication, sensory, emotional, and cognitive stresses can be supported to reduce anxiety experience within the school environment.
- During the course, we will explore a range of supports and resources which can be used to support an autistic child.
Location
Kilshannig Sports Complex
Kilshannig GAA Sports Complex
Glantane
Cork
P51 E0YH
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Joan McDonald
Following many years teaching in mainstream classrooms, Joan worked on individual planning in centres for adults with learning disabilities and those with mental health struggles.
She, then, became one of the first SENOs in Ireland, observing and providing school supports for students with atypical needs across eighty rural schools.
While studying for an M.Ed. in Autism, Joan was taught by and met a variety of autistic adults, which ultimately led to her own autism assessment. Prior to meeting such a diverse range of autistic people, Joan would only have recognised autism in people with profound and complex support needs.
Joan is passionate about using students’ interests to support autistic learners of all levels of cognitive ability to access education and contented lives.
She currently works on a variety of projects with agencies such as Middletown Centre for Autism, Dublin City University, Nua Healthcare, Fingal Libraries. In recent years, creating and delivering the Posauteen and Posaudult courses to help autistic people understand and advocate for themselves has been a major focus of Joan’s time.
Event summary
Date
Start Time
End Time
Kilshannig Sports Complex , Glantane , Cork