Works are under way at Niall Mór National School, Killybegs, to improve facilities for children with autism.
Following the allocation of a grant by the Department of Education and Skills, a new building is under construction and should be completed and ready to move into in September this year.
It will replace a leased pre-fabricated structure which has been in use by the class for children with autism for the past five years.
This will be a multi-room unit which will include a general classroom, a “snoezelen”, in which the children can experience a multi-sensory environment, toilets, a shower unit and kitchen facilities in which the children can train in practical life skills.
And parents who feel their children could benefit by attending there are reminded that now is the time to begin the process of application.
Headmaster, Michael McGuinness said “The Niall Mór has a long history of serving children with special needs; the first special needs class was established in 1980. At the moment we have a class for children with autism, two classes for children with speech and language difficulties and a class for children with mild/moderate general learning difficulties. The classes cater for children from all over Donegal South West with pupils from as far away as Bundoran, Glenties and Glencolmcille.
“What applies to all these classes is that applications for enrolment have to be accompanied by a psychological or medical report recommending that it is an appropriate placement for the child,” he added. And he cautioned: “Generally, that takes a bit of time so its as well to begin the process early”
With that in mind, an open day has been arranged at Niall Mór N.S. on Friday, March 8th, between 10am and 2pm, during which parents, teachers, carers or anyone else with an interest, can visit the school, look over the facilities and speak to teachers, special needs assistants and Mr. McGuinness.
The two classes for children with speech and language difficulties each cater for a maximum of seven children.
“The great advantage of this, apart from the small numbers, is that we have a HSE speech and language therapist in-house for two days a week”, Mr McGuinness said. “Generally”, he explained, “the children in these classes come for a period of up to two years of intensive therapy, following which they return to their local mainstream classes.”
The class for children with mild/moderate general learning difficulties caters for children whose needs are not being met in the general, mainstream situation.
The dedicated facilities for children with special needs are integrated with the other classes at the Niall Mór in a safe and happy atmosphere. In total, there are 185 pupils on the rolls, looked after by a staff of 23, including 14 teachers, 7 special needs assistants and one speech and language therapist.
More information about the open day and the school in general can be got by telephoning 074 9731794, by visiting the website, www.niallmor.ie or emailing office@niallmor.com. Apart from the open day on Friday, March 8th, visits can be arranged by appointment.
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