ABACAS Kilbarrack is a dedicated school for Autistic children and young adults with co-
occurring intellectual disabilities. We serve 54 students aged 3 to 18 and offer an Early
Intervention class for children aged 3 to 5. Each student follows an individual educational
plan tailored to their unique interests and needs, identified through assessments. Our school
is divided into Junior and Senior programs, with students placed in one of nine classrooms
based on their age and specific requirements.

Teaching and Learning at ABACAS
Our school’s approach to teaching and learning has four defining features. These are the
standards we have adopted to provide a learning environment that strives to continually
improve our students outcomes across all areas of development.

1. Planning - Individual planning based on quality educational assessments
2. Specialised – Evidence-informed teaching practices
3. Student-led—Continuous monitoring of student learning which informs adjustments in
teaching approaches. 
4. Technical – learning goals presented with attention to detail, precision, and clarity

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Early Intervention 

Our early intervention classroom, aptly named “Busy Bees” runs from 9.10 until 1.50pm daily. We have a small class size of six children. The children range in age from three to five years. Each child receives individualised tuition to support their social, communication and academic development. We support our students to communicate by utilising a variety of communication modalities; PECS, Lámh, AAC; etc. All these communication strategies are utilised to augment our student’s early communication development. Routine and structure are an imperative part of the day and visual schedules are used as an aid to assist the children’s understanding of the school day. 

The children also learn through small group teaching and play sessions. Communication and play skills are at the core of every teaching moment in Busy Bee’s

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