EXPERTS FROM the field of special needs education are to gather in Cork next month to offer information and tales of their experiences to individuals working in the field in Ireland.
The third annual Special Needs Assistants Group (SNA Group) conference will be addressed by leaders from areas such as behavioural science, paediatric physiotherapy and cognitive learning.
The event takes place at the Silver Springs Moran Hotel in Cork on Saturday, June 6th.
Conference organiser Catherine Jackson said recent cutbacks in the education sector had affected both special needs assistants and teachers and that the young people they work with were the most likely to suffer as a result.
However, Ms Jackson said she hoped the conference would provide those in attendance with some new information or advice that could benefit those they care for in the future.
“If they can bring something back that helps the child they work with then the conference will have been a great success,” she said.
The SNA Group is designed to provide professional development and training to special needs assistants in all aspects of their work.
The conference will be addressed by Nita Jackson, a young English woman who has written a book and featured in a BBC television series about her experiences living with Asperger’s syndrome.
Those in attendance will also hear from John Kerins from Neuron Learning, a group working with young people who have dyslexia, APD (Auditory Processing Disorder), Asperger’s or autism, and behavioural specialist Kirsten Conroy, who will discuss ways of building self-esteem in primary school children.
Those seeking further information about the conference or who wish to attend the event should e-mail snagroup@eircom.net or call 085 7716734
