Speac

SPEAC is the charity for the education of children with Austim in Northern Ireland

SPEAC  (Special Provision for the Education of Autistic Children) was  founded by parents who, faced with the realities of living with a child with autism, shared a frustration with the lack of educational provision.

Their response was to forge a unique partnership with the South-Eastern  Education and Library Board (SEELB) to run a 3-year pilot project based at Tor Bank Special School in Belfast. The Centre provided a child-centred specialist education using the principles of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) to children aged 4-11 who had autism and severe learning difficulties.  

SPEAC provides direct, hands-on support, using ABA techniques, to children with ASD and SLD in Tor Bank Special School.  Our Home-School Coordinator provides a vital link between home and school.

 

The 3-year pilot scheme came to an end at the close of the 2007/08 academic year. Since September 2008 SPEAC has put the learning from the pilot scheme into practice within Tor Bank Speical School.; offering child-centred specialised support to children with autism and severe learning difficulties, and providing a vital link between home and school with our Home-School Coordinator. 

We aim to put our experience, both at  the SPEAC Centre and at Tor Bank Special School, to good use. Working closely with Tor Bank and the South-Eastern Education and Library Board we hope to persuade the Department of  Education for Northern Ireland to fund the SPEAC service at Tor Bank on a permanent basis.