Who We Are
The mind behind Autism Journeys
Sharon McCarthy is a parent in an autism and additional needs household in rural Cork. She has advocated for her and other families for many years to ensure educational, physical and health needs are met, and that her children are afforded equitable opportunity to realise their potential.
She the mind behind, and presenter of, Autism Journeys Radio Show and Podcasts, a show centred on gaining the perspectives and telling the stories of figures in the autism community. Guests to date include local parents, bloggers, authors, educators, professionals and leaders in the field of research. She prides herself on the eclectic mix of information in the many podcasts of these interviews now available on SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube.
Passionate About Progression…
Sharon is passionate about progression in the field of disability and autism, continuing to upskill to best support autism parents and autistic individuals. She strives to ensure educational professionals and support staff are equipped to respectfully meet the needs of said individuals. She holds a diploma in Autism Studies and a higher diploma in Facilitating Inclusion, Disability Studies, both from University College Cork, along with a Post Graduate Certificate in Autism Studies from Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. She is also both a qualified advocate and a childcare professional.
Providing Support & Advice…
Sharon works alongside and provides support and advice for autistic individuals and their families, on both personal and professional bases. She works as an educational advocate for children in primary, secondary and university education and she designs and facilitates several autism courses in the Cork College of Commerce. She regularly delivers autism specific training workshops at a national level and she is adjunct course author and lecturer of UCD’s National SNA Training Programme. She also assesses any environment to ensure the setting is structured to best meet the needs of autistic individuals.
Our Core Areas
Common components seen with autism are a reliance upon different types of sensory cues to act as a scaffold in day-to-day life and a need for structure.
Environmental modification is the process of assessing and designing or restructuring an environment to ensure the setting is conducive to the sensory needs of the autistic individual.
To date Sharon has developed and delivered a number of training workshops and lectures, covering topics including sensory processing & anxiety.
Along with helping structure the environment, form filling or preparation for educational meetings for example, Sharon will work with those supporting the individual.