Last month in Togher Boys we celebrated Autism Awareness Week. It is estimated that 1 in every 100 people in Ireland have autism and promoting awareness and understanding is therefore essential. Throughout the week the children learned about autism, the emphasis being on promoting inclusive attitudes.
Rosah, an autism service dog, came to visit our school. Rosah was trained by My Canine Companion, a charity that train dogs to assist children and young adults living with autism. They are committed to helping children with autism and their families gain independence, companionship and safety through the provision of highly trained and skilled service dogs.
Miss O’ Donoghue’s Junior Infants class was introduced to Julia, a four year old girl with autism from Sesame Street. She is a young girl with bright orange hair and big green eyes and is friends with Elmo and Abby. To describe how atypical Julia is, people usually say she does things in a “Julia sort of way.”
Miss O’ Donoghue’s class completed artwork celebrating difference.
Following Autism Awareness Week some students were asked to reflect on what they learned the previous week and here is a video of their reflections.
Togher Boys' National School 