National Supports - Educational Support

The Middletown Centre for Autism was established by the Department of Education, Northern Ireland and the Department of Education, Ireland. It promotes best practice in the education of children and young people with autism throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Centre provides training, research, learning support and assessment and advice to parents, family members and educational professionals. It also hosts an annual conference on the latest research and practical supports which is open to autistic people, family members, educators, researchers and professionals to attend. You can access their online resources via their homepage - these resources include a Teenage Resource, a Building Capacity Resource, and a Sensory Processing Resource, amongst others. 

The NCSE’s local service is delivered through a national network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs). They work with parents and schools and liaise with the HSE in providing resources to support children with special educational needs.

Details on the work of SENOs and how to contact your local team can be found here. You can also use their interactive map to find local contacts in your area and to see what special schools there are close to your home. 

See also their Online Resources section for parents which is divided out as follows: early years, primary school, post-primary school, special class/school. 

Parenting Support provides local information on parenting supports and services in Kildare and Wicklow. Their parenting training schedule includes online zoom webinars (free to attend) as well as pre-recorded webinars (also free to access). You will find details of their Kildare supports and Wicklow supports also. 

Pobal administers and manages Government and EU funding to address disadvantage and support social inclusion. One of the Pobal programmes is the AIM Access and Inclusion Model. It is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the ECCE programme. It can provide a range of supports from level 1 to level 7, moving from universal to targeted supports. The AIM application process for each new pre-school year opens in May of that year. See the FAQs section of the AIM website for further information. 

Sound Advice (formerly Irish Deaf Kids) works to support inclusive education in mainstream schools in Ireland by highlighting hearing technology and digital tools that deaf children, students and graduates can use. They also guide parents, educators, policymakers and employers on how to use technology as a leveller.