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Hello

My name is Laura Crowley. I believe that each child has the ability to make connections in the social world. Quality of life is of paramount importance, so the needs and desires of the child must be taken into consideration. Through targeting strengths and identifying areas which require nurturing, an individualised approach to social skills development is achievable.

My Story

Laura Crowley, BA ECS (hons) MA Ed (open) PG DIP Prof Studies Ed., PG Cert TLHE

I have over 22 years experience working hands on with children and adolescents on the Autism Spectrum. I am a mother, author, lecturer, consultant and also diagnosed as autistic myself.

Having spent my initial years working in residential care settings and an Autism specific ABA school, I later took up a role in a Cork based Autism Charity in 2004. I set up an Educational Support Service in 2005 for the charity, providing individualised assistance to children with a diagnosis of Autism in mainstream school settings. I have since worked with over fifty schools in the Munster area.

In 2009, I designed and co-ordinated the PALS (personal and life skills) Programme for the Centre, the first of its kind in this country. The programme has achieved huge success, and is currently in its eleventh year of operation. The programme has also now been made available in a modularised online format. The programme specialises in teaching social skills from a ground-up approach, mindful of barriers which may impede advancement. This has more recently been developed into an app format. The trilogy of apps "Mission Rescue Kloog: Social Skills For Autism" is now available on the App Store and Google Play. The series has now been downloaded over 200,000 times globally and has also been the recipient of two awards to date.

I launched Connect Autism Consultancy in 2015, due to an overwhelming demand from parents for individualised autism supports and guidance navigating the autistic world for children and their families. I have helped hundreds of families since the inception of Connect, and I look forward to helping many more in the years to come.

I have also been lecturing on the Diploma in Autism Studies in University College Cork since it's inception eight years ago and I was heavily involved in formulating and devising content for the course.

I launched the Social Connect Series of Educational Resources for children in March of 2021. The first instalment of the series, Connect To The Moment: Anxiety Workbook and Cards, was so well received, I released Connect to Calm: Anger Management Programme, in July 2021. The series aims to equip children, regardless of neurotype, with the skills to overcome barriers and enable connections. For more information on this series, click here

After a long battle with sleep with my own little ones and also having struggled with my own sleep, I returned to study sleep in 2021 with The Sleep Charity. I am now a member of The British Sleep Society . I launched Connect to Sleep Parent Support Hub and individualised sleep support programmes in January 2022 and specialise in sleep support for children with additional needs from 3-16 years.