A group of parents got together to set up the Learning Center in the absence of any school places for their children.

The Red Door is the Learning Center's first project. It started in September 2001 with 4 children in Blackrock, Co Dublin. Autistic children, unlike typical children, will only learn with considerable help. The Red Door at the Autistic Learning Center is dedicated to providing specialized educational and therapeutic services that are vital for all persons with autism including one-to-one teaching, discrete trial teaching and speech and language therapy. The Red Door project offers early intervention for children with autism, integration into mainstream education and inclusion into the community and support to families of autistic children.

A grant of €10,000 in 2002 from The Ireland Funds was used towards the provision of a full time occupational therapy service to the children of the center.

learning centre for autistic children
Delivers services to autistic children and their families, to allow these children to function more effectively, lead richer lives, and be a more integral part of the community. Funding is used to support an occupational therapy facility at the centre.

“The availability of funds from The American Ireland Fund has allowed us to install and equip an occupational therapy room. We have been able to provide specialist therapy addressing the children’s sensory integration needs. This has enabled the children to make considerable progress in their overall development.”

David Quinn, Director