Experts in the field of applied behaviour analysis (ABA), a technique used to help children with autism, met at a conference on the subject in Dublin yesterday.
Aimed at parents, tutors and professionals working with young people on the autistic spectrum, the seminar was the first of its kind to be held in Ireland.
Martina Boylan, conference organiser and director of education at The Red Door, an ABA school in Sandyford, Dublin, said she hoped to impress on the parents of older children that ABA could still be of help.
"The message we want to give out to everybody is, there's always hope and you can make a change.
"Small changes, maybe, but you can make changes, no matter where you're at," she said.
Dr Bobby Newman, a psychologist from New York who addressed the seminar, said ABA involved "the application of the science of learning".
There are over 200 children attending ABA schools around the State.
