Pre-school autism initiative piloted in Northern Ireland

An initiative to help early years professionals recognise the early signs of autism in young children in Northern Ireland is being piloted by three charities.

The charities, Early Years, Barnardo’s and Autism NI, are piloting the Keyhole Autism Training programme for staff working in pre-schools and day nurseries.

The Pre-school children with autism: Developing a visually-structured approach course, which is based on the Keyhole approach developed by Autism NI, aims to make early detection and improved treatment a reality for autistic children by training pre-school staff to identify the early developmental signs of autism.

The three charities have called on the Northern Ireland Executive to fund the course so that it can be rolled out across the country.

Arlene Cassidy, Chief Executive of Autism NI, said, "The training is about helping to promote confidence in parents and staff working with autistic children. The Keyhole Autism Programme’s focus on early intervention promotes strategies that lead to huge developmental gains and open up the world to these children."
Kevin McCormick of Barnardo’s described the programme as a “template for a successful intervention which should be rolled out across Northern Ireland as soon as possible”.

Siobhan Fitzpatrick, Chief Executive of Early Years, added, "The training has provided staff with a common language and approach to children who have autistic spectrum disorders.

“Working alongside Barnardo’s and Autism NI we have developed a training programme that is making a significant change in the lives of children. We are asking our political representatives to show the same collaboration to ensure the work of this programme is developed."