From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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Roderic O’ Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, today published Introductory Guidelines to Support the Inclusion of Autistic Children in Early Learning and Care, School-Age Childcare and Childminding Settings.
The Guidelines are for early years educators, school-age childcare practitioners and childminders who are currently working to support the meaningful inclusion of autistic children in early learning and care, school-age childcare and childminding settings.
They form part of a wider suite of universal and targeted supports under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) which have been designed to ensure children with a disability and additional needs can access and participate in the ECCE programme and early learning and care settings more broadly.
The Guidelines fulfil a commitment in the recently launched National Autism Innovation Strategy, which aims to address the bespoke challenges and barriers facing autistic people and to improve understanding and accommodation of autism within society and across the public system.
Each year 2,735 services benefit from AIM supports.
Speaking today about the National Guidelines, Minister O’Gorman said:
“I am delighted to announce the publication of National Guidelines to Support the Inclusion of Autistic Children in Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare Settings.
“Meaningful inclusion of neurodivergent children and their families in settings starts with the early years educators and school-age practitioners being fully informed of their role in active inclusion.
“These Guidelines form part of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) suite of supports and resources supporting the inclusion of children in the ECCE programme and beyond.
“I hope the Guidelines assist early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners with the important role they play to support the inclusion of all children in their settings.”
Welcoming the publication of these guidelines, Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte added:
“I warmly welcome these National Guidelines for those working with our youngest children. They deliver on an action of our Department’s Autism Innovation Strategy.
“This Strategy will work hard to respond and enhance the lived experience of autistic people, their families and carers, so we can ensure that challenges and barriers currently being faced are being adequately addressed and to improve understanding and accommodation of autism within society and across the public system.
“These guidelines for early learning and care, school-age childcare and childminding settings are an example of a clear action that can make a tangible difference to children’s lives.”