22TRA153 Supporting Autistic Children’s Wellbeing & Emotional Health

Date:      Monday 20 March 2023
Time:      7 - 8pm
Venue:   Online via Zoom

Target Audience: Primary, Post Primary teachers & Parents

Supporting Autistic children's physical, mental and emotional health is crucial if we want our children to have a solid foundation to grow and develop to their full potential. All children want to learn techniques to regulate themselves so they can feel calm inside their own bodies.  All children can learn to their full potential and be happy in themselves when they feel calm and relaxed. Participants will be shown a variety of ways to use visual prompts to support children’s well-being.

During the talk participants will be shown

• fun ways to share mindful breathing techniques
• how to use nursery rhymes for younger children with  Brain Gym techniques.
• Simple movement games and stretches that support their physical development.
• Stories that can be shared to develop Emotional Literacy.
• Story Massage
• Ways to include visualisations and relaxations with young children.

This webinar will cover how important self-care is for all parents as our children pick up on our energy and wellbeing in our homes. Calmness in our homes starts with us the parents and that is not always easy. The webinar will finish with a relaxation for adults to support your self-care.

Bio of Presenter: Una Curran

Una Curran teaches Mindfulness and Well-being to children, teenagers and adults in a variety of settings.  She is a parent to three children and her background is in Primary schools as a classroom teacher in London, Support teacher with children with social, emotional and behaviour needs in Dublin 8, supporting children on a 1:1 in pre-schools and in my own Well-being therapy room.

Her eldest daughter is Autistic and has taught her many ways to see the World from a different point of view. This has helped support her teaching and learning techniques in various ways. She has taught many Autistic children and young people in school settings, Community groups and privately 1:1. Each Autistic child and young person she meet teaches hersomething new and supports her awareness of the Sensory world we live in.

The programme that she has put together and teaches in Pre-schools, Primary & Secondary schools, Community groups is based on her teaching experience in a variety of educational settings, being a parent and her professional training over many years. She has  found that some children need movement to regulate and some need stillness as our sensory bodies are all unique. By offering different techniques each child should learn a technique that helps calm their own body and mind. The aim is to plant the seeds of well-being early and that children will use the techniques independently when they need it in school and at home.