Autism from the Inside Out

CONTENTS: Margaret Egan: Effective Teaching Strategies to Promote Successful Learning - Lisha O'Sullivan: A Right to Play: Our Responsibility to Include Play in the Curriculum for Children with Autism Spectrum Difference - Sarah Feeney: Addressing Children's Sensory Differences: Strategies for Practice - Claire Griffin: Supporting Children with Autism Spectrum Difference: The Role of the Special Needs Assistant/Inclusion Support Assistant - Michele Dunleavy-Lavin/Shirley Heaney/Sharon Skehill: Individualized Planning: Bureaucratic Requirement or Critical for Effective Practice? - Marie Ryan: Assessment and Children with Autism Spectrum Difference - Anne O'Byrne: Including Parents Right from the Start - Emer Ring: Harnessing the Reggio Emilia Concept of the Environment as the «Third Teacher» for Children with Autism Spectrum Difference - Patricia Daly: Promoting Children's Wellbeing - Stella Long: Developing Knowledge and Understanding of Autism Spectrum Difference - Johanna Fitzgerald: Leading Learning for Children with Autism Spectrum Difference - Fionnuala Tynan: Self-Evaluation: The Way Forward.

Emer Ring is Head of the Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies at Mary Immaculate College. She worked previously as a primary teacher and a senior inspector with the Department of Education and Skills and has published widely in the area of education, with a particular focus on autism spectrum difference and inclusion.



Patricia Daly is Head of the Department of Educational Psychology, Inclusive and Special Education at Mary Immaculate College. Previously she worked as a post-primary teacher in Ireland and lectured at several universities in the United States, including Ohio Dominican University.



Eugene Wall is Acting President of Mary Immaculate College and previously worked as a primary teacher and educational psychologist. He lectures in developmental and educational psychology and is co-author of the MICRA-T and SIGMS-T, two of the most widely used standardized tests in Irish primary schools.

«Viewing autism as a difference rather than a disorder sets the tone for this book. If pupils are understood and appropriate adjustments made, success ensues. The research conducted into educational practice in Ireland and internationally provides the basis for the recommendations made on approaches, inclusion and leadership. Staff working across the age range will find this an invaluable resource, with the key signpost sections giving useful summaries within each chapter.» (Glenys Jones, Autism Centre for Education and Research, University of Birmingham)







«This is a practical book based on the findings of an extensive research project conducted to determine best practice in autism provision in Irish schools. The authors refer to this research process and draw out and expand the key concepts identified in the research. What is important in this book is that they do so from the perspective of the practitioner.





Autism from the Inside Out is primarily child-centred; over twelve chapters the authors and contributors examine practice, assessment and the key relationships that can have an impact on the child's educational experience. The chapters contain useful templates and assessments, and important concepts are highlighted in useful key 'signposts' text boxes. This book will be immensely useful for educational professionals, researchers and students who wish to learn more about best practice for autism in Irish schools.» (Fiona McCafferty, Middletown Centre for Autism, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland)







«As the recognition of the connection between identity and diversity promotes and supports a reinterpretation of the image of children, Autism from the Inside Out focuses on children's identity and potential during the processes of their growth, learning and development of relationships. The volume provides inclusive and practical pedagogical strategies for