Autism in the Early Years

Since 2013 changes to the diagnostic manual meant that children were allowed a dual diagnosis,,unlike before, such as autism and ADHD. This has helped us learn more about autism and how other conditions are connected. This course will help teachers, TA’s, and other adults that work with these children to help put in the right support and resources in place for them

Autistic children can experience anxiety more than many others and this course looks at what may cause them to be anxious, how the environment, communication, routines and emotional literacy support we give them can help. We look at the stress and anxiety relationship and look at the science that helps us understand what is happening. There are lots of resources, teaching strategies and wellbeing support that we explore and discuss how to match these to the needs of the autistic child or young person. Finally we discuss what to do if you are worried about their mental health

This course looks at how we can investigate the causes and anxiety around behaviour that concerns and challenges us with autistic children We look at what behaviour communicates and how to read a child’s anxiety before working out what additional support can be needed This course helps you understand the behaviour, be proactive and make a long lasting difference to a child who is struggling in a difficult situation

This course talks you through a structured approach to RSE for autistic young people. It will cover foundational concepts, communication and sensory and social perspectives that can be applied and revisited over a child’s school years and their lifetime.

Social Stories are often recommended for autistic children and young people but do you know how to write them? This training follows the structure and rules created by Carol Gray to show you how to collect the right information, understand the autistic person’s perspective and write a story that is positive, helpful and affirming.

Lego Based Therapy is a social communication intervention for autistic and other children with social communication, nurture and SEMH needs. On this course you will learn how to plan, lead and assess a 12 week Lego Based Therapy intervention with the advantage of doing a practical session with children from the host school.

Pathological Demand Avoidance is seen in autistic and other children, but what is it and are children just trying to get their own way? This course explains what PDA is and why it is aligned with autism. We look at the main identifying features, critically examine how we diagnose PDA and look at the strategies that have been developed to support this anxiety based profile in a school setting.

This course gives you a comprehensive understanding of what autism is, how autism presents in different pupils and how it shapes the way they learn. We look at supporting learning and behaviour in each key stage, through practical strategies and how these help and support the pupil’s learning in all areas of the curriculum. We discuss the key adaptations that enable autistic pupils to engage, learn and thrive in school.

So many people talk about using visuals with autistic children. Have you ever wondered why? Visual resources such as timetables, mind maps, keyrings and pictures can help autistic children in many ways. This course will explain how visuals work and show you how to prepare and adapt visual resources for individual children.

Writing is an issue with many autistic children. This course helps you examine the barriers to writing and how we can look at what the child can do if we remove the barriers. The course is full of practical ideas and resources.