CoderDojo has done a lot to raise awareness of the more fun aspects of programming among Irish teenagers, but it has also found popularity among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
That in itself should not be a surprise. The high level of concentration, attention to detail and skills in pattern recognition that often characterise ASD are qualities prized in the technology industry in areas such as software testing and data conversion and in the financial sector.
There have been numerous articles speculating about whether some of the top technology entrepreneurs have some form of ASD.
It’s not a given that children with ASD will automatically take to coding, but the CoderDojo clubs cater for children with a range of requirements, allowing them to try out the hobby free of charge and progress further if they find an aptitude for it.
Earlier this year the Cope Foundation, which as part of its remit supports children and adults with autism, facilitated the establishment of a CoderDojo club at its Doras training and development facility in Cork.
Cope chief executive Collette Kelleher says the club is not limited to children with ASD, with a mix of children attending.
"We actively encouraged those children we work with in our ASD service," she says. "The idea of CoderDojo is people coding together. The club is available, we facilitated it, and we publicised it to the children and their families."
Weekend club
It has proved a popular choice. The weekend club started in March, and although it is "early days", Kelleher says it is going well, with family members of some of the children regularly attending too.
Part of the reason for setting up the club is the local link – co-founder James Whelton is from Cork.
“There’s a lot of interest in Cork because of the founder,” Kelleher adds. “There was a number of people who had children attending CoderDojo clubs and they talked about it being a very interesting activity. We thought, let’s try it out and see who’ll come.
“Like anything, word of mouth is the best recommendation for anything. We tried it out and lots of people and children enjoy it. They’re coming every Saturday.”
The ethos behind Coder Dojo is that it is open to all and plenty of parents of children with ASD have praised the clubs and their work with children.
Alacoque Cawley’s son Evan, aged nine, has been attending the CoderDojo in NUI Maynooth for the past six weeks.
“They have been brilliant. There are always plenty of helpers there to help if the child gets stuck,” she says. “I would recommend it to anyone and have been doing for the last few weeks.
“They held a little competition last night for last class until September and gave out vouchers which all the kids loved.”
Joe Sheerin, meanwhile, has brought his son Fiachra (9) to the Mullingar CoderDojo, where the club leaders have encouraged him and helped build his confidence and knowledge, to the point where has been able to create a cartoon for his younger sister.
Positive feedback
Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are a lot of children with ASD in the CoderDojo programme. Whelton says he has heard positive feedback from clubs set up to cater for children with special needs.
“I’ve heard a lot of touching stories and I’ve seen kids with autism stand up, mentor and present and so on, and develop a lot of social skills,” he says. “I was down at the Cope CoderDojo and spoke to a father who had a son with autism and one without. His sons were interacting in ways they normally wouldn’t over the common bond of programming.”
The link between the clubs and ASD groups was strengthened when a local school for children with autism was chosen as the charity beneficiary for the recent DojoCon conference.
The CoderDojo clubs are aimed at school-age children, but other organisations are taking up the baton outside of this demographic.
Getting jobs
Specialisterne (the Specialists) is a Danish organisation aiming to create one million jobs for people with ASD throughout the world. In December last year it came to Dublin, setting up in SAP's Citywest headquarters.
The organisation offers recruitment and mentoring services to high-functioning adults with ASD, helping them to break into the job market, while also dispelling the perceptions of surrounding ASD.
Specialisterne Ireland’s Peter Brabazon says the programme has brought seven people through to assessment, and last week placed its first candidate with a partner company.
“The average person, the so- called neurotypicals, might be socially better and therefore get the job but mightn’t be the best at it,” he adds.
Support in the job-hunting process, from the interview process to supporting the candidate in the workplace, tailoring environments, is an essential part of the organisation’s work.
The organisation has only scratched the surface; it intends to place about 50 candidates over five years.
