Autism Spectrum: Directions for Educational Professionals

Program Overview

Participants will earn badges for each completed unit and an e-certificate upon course completion. It is suitable for SEN professionals, teachers, and others seeking to enhance their knowledge and skills in working with individuals on the autism spectrum.

Program Outline

Outline:

The course is made up of 5 units, each will require approximately 3 hours of study.

• Unit 2 - Comorbidity - Considerations for Interventions
• In Unit 2 you will use the knowledge built in the first unit to look at autism in combination with other diagnoses: comorbidity.
Different conditions that can coexist with autism will be considered, and you will explore the 5 behavioural themes of autism in more detail.
• Unit 3 - The Individual with Autism - Tailored Intervention Strategies
• Unit 3 focuses on the individual with autism and their specific context.
Context can be internal (differences between age groups and gender), or external (e.g. socio-economic factors). The impact of these factors will be discussed with relation to possible intervention strategies.
• Unit 4 - Interventions and Strategies for Autism and Related Conditions
• This unit focuses on specific intervention strategies that can be used and highlights their strengths and weaknesses.
• Unit 5 - Routes to Intervention: Providing Autism Support in Educational Settings
You will be able to participate in two end of unit activities including a case study and a development plan for future learning. Instead, you will receive a badge for each completed Unit, and then upon completion of the whole course, you will be awarded with an e-certificate.

Teaching:

You will study this course 100% online. It comprises a range of activities including:

• recognizing and analyzing behaviour in case studies, that are introduced in the theory
• determining how other conditions impact on how autism displays in behaviour
• establishing the wider network of support and training available to you and/or your pupils and clients
One of the reasons that autism is sometimes misunderstood is that the overall expression of the symptoms of autism, in all its forms, can differ considerably. Children diagnosed with autism, even if they are the same age, may look very different from each other in the manifestation of symptoms.
• This short course, aimed at professionals, who encounter different manifestations of autism, is a practical guide to recognising, identifying and responding to this spectrum of behaviours.
It will be of particular interest to people in roles such as:
• Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo)
• Learning support teachers
• Social workers
• Care managers
• Speech and language therapists
• This professional development course will provide you with:
• Case studies and knowledge to help you recognise the experiences of families that include members on the autism spectrum
This is a self-guided course which involves reflective activities to assess subject understanding. Our online short courses are designed to be intellectually stimulating, thought provoking and rewarding.
• The course is widely available for anyone to take part in regardless of age, location or education status.
• You will need access to the internet whether it is on your PC, tablet, mobile or other electronic devices, as well as a valid email address to register with our online learning environment in order to take part in the course.
• Learners should have an understanding of the English Language and the ability to study in English.
• Simon is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Derby; a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society; and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.