| A spokesperson for the SELB said: “The new Autism Specific Classes are being developed by the SELB, in cooperation with the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools. Already there are Autism Specific Classes in five controlled schools in the SELB area and the Board’s five special schools.
“The four new classes are being developed in the present academic year (2005 -2006) in: Armagh Christian Brothers Primary School ; St Mary’s Primary School, Banbridge; Primate Dixon Primary School , Coalisland; St Joseph ’s Convent Primary School , Newry.
“Each of the classes will be managed by an experienced teacher, with a minimum of two full-time classroom assistants. It is envisaged that each facility will have placements for no more than eight children, and are designed primarily for children of Key Stage One age.
“The new Autism Specific Classes will be supported by staff from the SELB’s Autism Advice and Intervention Service. These staff are trained in a range of autism specific interventions, including TEACCH, PECS, ABA, Social Stories, ‘ICON to ICAN’ as well as Play Skills.
“Individualised programmes of intervention will be designed for each pupil on the basis of multi-agency professional input as well as on the basis of consultation with parents.
“Amendments are made to the internal layout of the classroom, with input from the Board’s Architects Section and with advice from the SELB’s autism specialists. This is to promote an appropriate learning environment for pupils who require an autism specific placement, so that optimal opportunities for pupil progress can be created.
“All of these specialist autism provisions are funded by the Board’s Special Education Section and are supported by the Board’s Autism Advice and Intervention Service.”
The SELB currently has five autism specific classes attached to mainstream schools: Cookstown Primary School ; Dungannon Primary School ; Kilkeel.
Primary School ; Edenderry Primary School , Portadown and The Armstrong Primary School, Armagh .
There are also autism specific classes attached to the Board’s five special schools: Ceara, Lurgan; Donard, Banbridge; Lisanally, Armagh , Rathore, Newry; Sperrinview, Dungannon.
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