St Paul’s Community College has the only Post Primary ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) centre in Waterford city. The ASD centre opened in 2008 . The centre is part of a national drive to provide services for young people with ASD. Presently we have ten young people attending the centre. We operate under the guidelines of SESS and the Dept of Education. We use a multi-disciplinary approach, including recognised methodologies such as TEACCH, ABA, PECS, Floor Time, V.B. and others. With this choice of skills we can adapt a programme for students with a broad range of abilities assuring the maximum amount of inclusion in the mainstream classes.
Fortunately, we have had an opportunity to help with the design of the building itself. Subsequently the layout proves an excellent base for the continued support and development of students in a Post Primary setting.. We can facilitate the improvement of social skills and academic skills in this purpose built environment. Also we can use the unit to create “A Circle of Friends” around the student in a safe and familiar setting.
Below are some photographs of our ASD Centre
St. Pauls Community College, Brownes Road, Waterford, Ireland
