Face-to-Face SNAs supporting Autistic Learners in Post Primary Schools

Date: 25th November 2025

Time: 9:30 am - 3:30pm

Venue: Monaghan Education Centre

Blurb

Part 1: 9:30 - 11am

• Understanding Autism at school from a strength based and inclusive perspective.
• How can we make school environments more accommodating and comfortable for our autistic students?
• Looking at environmental characteristics.
• How to Improvise when resources are limited.
• We will explore environmental audit tools which can be completed with students to discover their perspective on how the school environment can accommodate their needs.

Part 2: 11:30 am - 1pm

• Understanding the sensory profiles of your students and how you can best support them as a co-regulator.
• We will complete sensory checklists as a group and discuss findings and what they mean.
• We will explore a student self-check which is helpful to empower young people to advocate for their own regulation preferences.

Part 3: 2 - 3:30pm

• Regulation breaks. Firstly, we need to be regulated. Exploration of how we can be safe nervous systems for our students.
• Discover the importance of connection and attunement through sensory and emotion regulation strategies for your students.
• Use of regulation resources from Autism Level Up!
• Demonstration and discussion: Post primary friendly sensory resources

Bio

Aideen Ruttledge

Autism Specialist Occupational Therapist

BSc (OT), MSc (Sensory Integration),

Attention Autism Advanced Practitioner