Belfast Central Mission

Supporting those who need it most

• Who we are
• What we do
• How to Help
• Conference Facilities

Worship

• Worship

Older People

• LITE 60+
• Kirk House
• Adult Holiday Programme
• Wednesday Lunch Club
• Christmas Support
• Befriending Scheme
• Tea Dances

Young People

• The LITE project (16-25)
• Cross Community Holidays
• Quayside Project
• Christmas Toy Programme
• Anderson House
• The EAGLE Project
• Mentoring

The EAGLE Project

The EAGLE Project aims to provide a support service to improve the lives of children within Greater Belfast who have been diagnosed with Autism/Asperger's Syndrome (ASD). The Project seeks to help these children and their families come to terms with and begin to understand their autism, starting at diagnosis.

"I have not been thrown too many lifelines since my son's diagnosis but this has been one of the most profitable. I value every last word and deed. This practical assistance filters back to my family and helps to make life a little better"

What is autism

Autism is a life long disability, which affects the way a child communicates and relates to the world around them. Approximately 70% of people with Autism have accompanying learning difficulties, but whatever their level of ability, they share a common difficulty in making sense of the world in the way others do. Autism is described as a spectrum disorder, which means that children can be affected to different degrees, some severely, others in more subtle ways. All children with the condition will be affected by a range of impairments which includes all or some of the following:

• Difficulty with social relationships
• Communication problems
• Restricted range of behaviours, activities and interests.

However research has shown that early intervention can have a dramatic effect on the child's autism. The EAGLE Project aims to support and encourage families and provide an immediate response when a diagnosis is first given and enhance the child's development from as early an age as possible.

EAGLE provides support in five main ways

• THE PROJECT MANAGER, who visits parents at home and identifies and responds to their individual issues
• THE PROJECT WORKER, facilitates families to use visual supports in the home.
• THE CHILDREN'S WORKER, who will provide respite for parents by looking after their child for a specified time on a weekly basis, while also establishing perhaps the first social relationship for this child outside the immediate family
• PARENT TRAINING, on all issues associated with Asperger’s Syndrome.
• PARENT SUPPORT GROUP, meets monthly at BCM.

Recent Developments

SIBSKLUB is a new club for children aged 8-11 yrs who have a brother or sister with autism. It runs weekly for 7 weeks after school on Tuesdays with sessions lasting between one and two hours. A monthly Sibsklub takes place for all children who have come through the 7 week series.

The main purpose of the club is to promote the emotional well-being of children who have a brother or sister with autism. We give the children an opportunity to talk about themselves and their feelings and we hope this will encourage a positive self-image in the children. In addition, we want to help the children understand autistic behaviour and encourage them to play and communicate with their brother or sister. All the activities are practical and the children learn from them as well as having lots of fun.

Sibsklub is a joint venture between EAGLE and Barnardo's Forward Steps Project.

EYRIE YOUTH CLUB is for primary school aged children with ASD and their siblings. The Club takes place on a Friday night at BCM and is parent led. The aim of the Club is to help the child learn the social skills required to be a member of a youth club.

SUMMER SCHEME for primary school aged children with ASD.

SWIMMING CLUB weekly swimming lessons with a trained tutor open to children with ASD and their siblings. Held on a Thursday night at Muckamore Abbey Hospital.