Friends and Family
Accessible Resources
Annual Report
Feedback (Comments, Compliments, Concerns)
Financial Statements
Gender Pay Gap Reports
HIQA Reports
IMPACT Report
Regulations and Standards
Strategic Plan
Reference Links / I’m looking for support
Supports and Services:
Ambitious about Autism is the national charity in the UK for children and young people with autism. They provide services, raise awareness and understanding, and campaign for change www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk
ASIAM : provides information on autism and a platform for people with autism to share their experiences and views http://www.asiam.ie
HSE: www.hse.ie
Middletown Centre for Autism supports development and co-ordination of education services to children and young people with autism https://www.middletownautism.com/
Autistic Society (UK) website http://www.nas.org.uk/
Scottish Autism website https://www.scottishautism.org/
Wrong Planet is the web community designed for individuals (and parents / professionals of those) with Autism. www.wrongplanet.net
Advocacy:
The National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities provides an independent, confidential and free, representative advocacy service that works exclusively for the person using the service and adheres to the highest professional standards http://www.citizensinformationboard.ie/en/services/advocacy/
The National Disability Authority (NDA) is the independent state body providing expert advice on disability policy and practice to the government and the public sector, and promoting Universal Design in Ireland. www.nda.ie
Inclusion Ireland provides an information and advice service to people with an intellectual disability, their families and also to services that support people with an intellectual disability as well as students and others doing research in the sector. www.inclusionireland.ie
Education:
National Learning Network (NLN) provides training and specialist support to people who, for a variety of reasons, may find it difficult to gain employment. www.nln.ie
DARE The Disability Access Route to Education is a third level alternative admissions scheme for school leavers whose disabilities have had a negative impact on their second level education http://accesscollege.ie/dare/
AHEAD the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability is an independent non-profit organisation working to promote full access to and participation in further and higher education for students with disabilities and to enhance their employment prospects on graduation https://www.ahead.ie/index
Employment:
Supported employment c promotes supported employment at a national level, to jobseekers, employers, disability and other services, policy makers and the general public. www.iase.ie
Work 4 U is a recruitment and employment service set up to assist people with a disability or mental health difficulties to secure and maintain a job in the open labour market. www.work4u.ie
INTREO is a new service from the Department of Social Protection and is a single point of contact for all employment and income supports. Designed to provide a more streamlined approach, Intreo offers practical, tailored employment services and supports for jobseekers and employers alike. www.welfare.ie
SPECIALISTERNE is a specialist consultancy that recruits and supports talented people with Autism and Aspergers and similar challenges https://www.specialisterne.ie/
Mental Health:
Pieta House provides a free, therapeutic approach to people who are in suicidal distress and those who engage in self-harm. www.pieta.ie
IACP is a link between those who are looking for Counselling/Psychotherapy and those who provide Counselling/Psychotherapy https://iacp.ie/
Frequently Asked Questions
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder; signs typically appear during early childhood and affect a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.
ASD is defined by a certain set of behaviours and is a “spectrum condition” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause of autism, but increased awareness and early diagnosis/intervention and access to appropriate services/supports lead to significantly improved outcomes. Some of the behaviours associated with autism include delayed learning of language; difficulty making eye contact or holding a conversation; difficulty with executive functioning, which relates to reasoning and planning; narrow, intense interests; poor motor skills’ and sensory sensitivities. Again, a person on the spectrum might follow many of these behaviours or just a few or many others besides.
The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is applied based on an analysis of all behaviours and their severity. A short video on understanding autism can be viewed by clicking here.
Autism is now better understood than in the past and consequently better diagnosed. Recent studies from Dublin City University show the prevalence of autism in Ireland is 1:100 (some other studies say 1.1, 1.53 and parent reporting 2% in the US).
In 2017 the National Disability Authority of Ireland estimated that there are between 16,000 -23,000 adults with autism solely (no ID present). The male to female ratio is generally accepted to be 4:1. This would mean there are approximately 13,103 men and 3,276 women with ASD between 18 and 65 years in Ireland without an ID.
For each individual age group, there are potentially 341 people with autism without an ID. Click here for more information.
Neurodiversity is an approach to learning and disability that argues diverse neurological conditions are a result of normal variations in the human genome.
Neurodiversity is:
"...a concept where neurological differences are to be recognised and respected as any other human variation. These differences can include those labelled with Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyscalculia, Autistic Spectrum, Tourette Syndrome, and others."
In other words, a condition such as autism is a part of who the person is and to take away the autism is to take away the person. As such, neurodiversity activists reject the idea that autism should be cured, advocating instead for celebrating autistic forms of communication and self-expression, and for promoting support systems that allow people with autism to live as someone with autism.
Today, neurodiversity is broadly defined as an approach to learning and disability that suggests diverse neurological conditions as a result of normal variations in the human genome.
Neurodiversity advocates promote support systems (such as inclusion-focused services, accommodations, communication and assistive technologies, occupational training, and independent living support) that allow those who are neuro-divergent to live their lives as they are, rather than being coerced or forced to adopt uncritically accepted ideas of normality, or to conform to a clinical ideal. https://nowthisnews.com/videos/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-neurodiversity
Currently Gheel provides adult services only.
Gheel provides services in Dublin & North Kildare region only at present (Feb 2019)
Information coming soon...
Yes, our residential services are registered by Health Information & Quality Authority (HIQA) and full details can be found on their website www.hiqa.ie.
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