ABACAS School
School Details
About
Drogheda ABACAS Special School, founded in 2003 by a group of parents associated with Autism Support Louth & Meath, provides a specialist, autism‑specific education for up to 30 children with complex needs aged three to eighteen. The school follows the Irish National Curriculum but adapts it through highly individualised programmes that respond to each pupil’s strengths and challenges. A core element of the teaching approach is the use of evidence‑based methodologies such as Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), the TEACCH framework and Floortime, allowing staff to tailor communication, social interaction and learning strategies to the needs of each child. The school’s ethos is built around four guiding principles: inclusiveness, ensuring children with disabilities have full access to education; equality of participation; parental choice in enrolment and involvement; and respect for diversity of values, beliefs and traditions. Small class sizes and a low student‑to‑staff ratio enable intensive, personalised support, while the environment is designed to be calm and structured, promoting both academic progress and social development.