Cottage Autism Network Wexford: Occupational unit to be dedicated to Aoife

Autism

Autism is a disability that affects a child's development in the areas of social interaction and communication. Children with Autism may show no interest in peek-a-boo or other interactive games. They may not communicate; instead they may "hand-lead" to the desired object. Many have poor eye contact.

Characteristics also include repetitive behaviours and resistance to tiny changes in familiar surroundings.

Sensory Issues: A child may have difficulty with clothing, noise and new situations. Some children have gastro-intestinal problems such as diarrhoea, constipation and food sensitivities.

The first signs of Autism, usually appear as developmental delays before the age of three. Autism is a "catch-all" word that is applied to a group of symptoms, some of which are mentioned above. These occur in varying degrees depending on the individual child.

Research has shown that early intervention plays a huge part in your children's progress. An appropriate education plan should be established immediately and should include - speech therapy, occupational therapy and behavioural intervention. Some parents have reported success with dietary and biomedical interventions.

If you are concerned about your child, contact your GP or Public Health Nurse and seek assessment for your child.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Occupational unit to be dedicated to Aoife

Caroline Kennedy & Maclean Burke (Damien from Fair City)

Caroline Kennedy & Rosaline Moules

Wednesday December 09 2009

A SPECIALISED Occupational Therapy Unit at St. Senan's Primary School in Enniscorthy is to be dedicated to the memory of a young Carnew girl who tragically lost her life in a traffic accident in Carnew three years ago.

The parents of the late Aoife Kennedy set up a memorial fund in her honour and last week handed over the sum of €6,000 to the Cottage Autism Network (CAN).

The Aoife Kennedy Memorial Fund held a Halloween Fancy Dress night in Kenny's Pint Depot, Carnew, back in October, and €6,000 was raised for the Cottage Autism Network (CAN) and St. Senan's Primary School Autistic Unit in Enniscorthy.

The proceeds went towards the purchase of Occupational Therapy Equipment for children with Autism which is costing in the region of €26,000.

The hardworking parents at the school have been raising funds locally for the equipment, and they were delighted to receive the financial boost.

Accepting the cheque last week, Servaas Dobbier, Chairman and founder of Cottage Autism Network Wexford, stated that 'the generosity of people in the Wexford area has always been to the fore and we want to thank them for their continued support.'

Dr. Henry Goff, Principal of St. Senan's Primary School, Enniscorthy, acknowledged the work that has been done over the years by the Parents' Committee with all their fundraising efforts. In particular, he thanked Caroline and Matthew Kennedy, Ballyellis, Carnew, for their support and generosity through the Aoife Kennedy Memorial Fund, and for their wonderful donation.

The Kennedys thanked everyone for their help and support with the fundraiser and their hardworking committee of: Michael Dunbar, Gorey; Ailish and Mary Walsh, Donishall; Colm Moules; and all those who supported the venture and to all the businesses for their generosity.

Due to the phenomenal support it is hoped to make this an annual event in order to help other deserving children's charities and keep the memory of an 'Angel' alive.

The Parents Committee of the Autistic Unit of St. Senan's Primary School, Enniscorthy, presented Caroline and Matthew Kennedy with a special plaque in memory of Aoife, to acknowledge their fundraising efforts. The Occupational Therapy unit will be dedicated to her memory.

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Occupational Therapy

What is Occupational Therapy (O.T.)?
Occupational Therapy aims to maximize a child’s participation in home, school, play and leisure activities i.e. activities of daily living. Occupational Therapy is important when a child’s ability to participate in/ or perform these tasks is affected or compromised by illness, disease, disability or disorder.

How Occupational Therapy Helps the Autistic Child

Children are assessed in terms of age-appropriate life tasks. Occupational Therapy addresses areas that interfere with the child's ability to function in such life tasks. An occupational therapist would assess the child’s fine motor skills, coordination and self-help skills. (eating with utensils, dressing etc) The occupational therapist would also look at how the child responds to and uses what he sees, hears, feels, tastes and smells. The occupational therapist would identify the child’s impairments and provide intervention services to develop skills in these identified areas.

Occupational Therapy benefits a child with autism by attempting to improve the quality of life for the individual through successful and meaningful experiences. This may be accomplished through the maintenance, improvement, or introduction of skills necessary for the child to participate as independently as possible in meaningful life activities.

These are some of the skills occupational therapy may foster:

daily living skills, such as toilet training, dressing, brushing teeth, and other grooming skills
fine motor skills required for holding objects while handwriting or cutting with scissors
gross motor skills used for walking or riding a bike
sitting, posture, or perceptual skills, such as telling the differences between colors, shapes, and sizes
visual skills for reading and writing
play, coping, self-help, problem solving, communication, and social skills

By working on these skills during occupational therapy, a child with autism may also do the following:

develop peer and adult relationships
learn how to focus on tasks
learn how to delay gratification
express feelings in more appropriate ways
engage in play with peers
learn how to self-regulate

And this from Andrea Roche, ASD Unit Teacher Scoil Mhuire Coolcotts Wexford.

The Benefits of Occupational Therapy for children with Autism.

In Scoil Mhuire Wexford we are lucky enough to have a purpose built, fully equipped occupational therapy room. We are also fortunate enough to have a group of dedicated parents from the Cottage Autism Network who have raised enough funds to employ an occupational therapist who works with children in our school and in St Senans, Enniscorthy and members of C.A.N county wide. This has provided us with a consistent occupational therapy service.

Each child has individual sensory and motor needs and so has an individual programme to meet these needs. The sensory levels of the children can change from day to day and moment to moment and because our staff are familiar with the recommendations and equipment, they can immediately react to calm a child who is over stimulated or vice versa. The recommendations are carried out not only during occupational therapy sessions but throughout the day when needed. Weighted jackets, weight bearing exercises, fidget toys, structured movement breaks along with consistent behavioural plans and vigilant staff have helped to reduce significantly inappropriate behaviour. These strategies have been a huge benefit to the children in aiding concentration, listening skills and participation in group work. We have also seen improvements in fine motor co-ordination, which is an area of great difficulty for our children. The use of slant boards, weights, pencil grips and specific fine motor exercise have aided this.

There is no doubt that occupational therapy is of huge benefit to children with sensory processing problems. We have found when it is used in conjunction with consistent behavioural plans by staff who are aware of the difficulties facing children with autism, the benefits are even greater.

Cottage Autism Network Wexford

Autism

Monday, January 18, 2010

Occupational unit to be dedicated to Aoife

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