Special class for children with autism inaugurated

A SPECIAL class for children with autism was officially opened at St Louise De Marillac Primary School, Ballyfermot by the Lord Mayor on Tuesday.

“The class opened in September 2022, so it’s in its second year now. We had the official opening to coincide with Autism Acceptance Month that we are having in the school all through April,” said Principal Alma Quinn.

Tuesday was certainly a busy day in St Louise’s with the Lord Mayor, Councillor Daithí de Róiste, arriving at 11.30 am.

Cllr Vincent Jackson, who is also Chairperson of the Board of Management (BOM) of the school and a former pupil, was MC for the opening.

“We [then] had a ceremony in the hall and the school choir also performed. They did their final song with sign language using Lámh because some of the children in the class use Lámh,” said Principal Quinn.

Also a number of speeches were made. “The Mayor, Cllr Jackson, myself and Aylissa Doab, who is a Fifth Class pupil, a member of the Student Council and a member of the ASD class, made speeches,” said Ms Quinn.

In his speech, the Lord Mayor spoke about kindness, inclusivity and how efforts are being made to make Dublin more friendly for autism.

Sarah Murphy is the Special Class teacher and she is supported by two Special Needs Assistant’s, Amy Ward and Leanne Brody.

“We are so fortunate that we have an amazing team working in the ASD class,” Ms Quinn said.

She added that there have been a number of challenges in establishing the Special Class but that the benefits outweigh those challenges. She also said that the staff and school community are on a voyage of discovery regarding autism and that each day they are learning new things.

The speeches were followed by the ribbon-cutting at the classroom and a visit by the Lord Mayor to the classroom after which attendees enjoyed light refreshments.

There was a large attendance at the opening.

“The children’s parents and grandparents attended, and members of the BOM, some members of the Parents’ Association, the Student Council from the school, the Senior Infants Class and the Fifth Class, the children of the Special Class and some of the staff in the school were also there,” said Ms Quinn.

There are six girls in the Special Class with some pupils remaining in the class for the school day while others also go to mainstream classes, depending on the individual needs of the child.

There are several facilities available to the pupils of this class. “We have a sensory room . . . and an outdoor play area with a big swing. Each pupil has their own workstation and there is also an interactive whiteboard in the classroom,” said Ms Quinn.

A school bus also brings four of the pupils of the class to and from school each day.

St Louise’s, which opened in 1958 and was set up by the Daughters of Charity, has a long tradition of helping children in the locality.

The Special Class is currently engaged in an exciting project to establish a sensory garden for children in the class. “Work is underway,” said Ms Quinn.