Autism Awareness Training Course
This introductory course is designed for anyone wishing to understand more about autism. It is suitable for anyone who supports autistic children, young people, and adults in a variety of contexts. It explores what autism is, and looks at the concepts of neurodiversity and the autism spectrum, as well as addressing some common misconceptions.
You’ll learn that autistic individuals share common areas of difference, but will have their own profile of strengths and challenges. The course explores how those areas of difference might impact an individual. It will make you aware of the importance of understanding autism and give you knowledge of the diagnostic process. You will also learn how to provide effective, individualised support and benefit from practical supportive strategies. The course utilises 'Choose Your Path' opportunities to tailor your learning according to the context in which you are supporting autistic people.
- Appraised by neurodivergent advocate and trainer, Tigger Pritchard
- Developed by education professionals
- Accredited by CPD
- Fully online course and assessment with no time limits
- Approximate duration: 3 hours
- Full audio voiceover
- Contains downloadable resources
- On completion, certificate is posted the next working day
- Downloadable certificate on completion
Who should take this course?
This course is designed for anyone who would like to understand more about autism and what it means to be autistic. It is suitable for anyone who supports autistic children, young people, or adults - this includes parents, carers, employers, colleagues, friends, relatives, etc.
Certification
All of our courses are accredited by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to universally accepted Continuing Professional Development (CPD) guidelines.
On successful completion of the course you will be sent a quality assured certificate through the post the next working day. This can be used to provide evidence for compliance and audit.
This certificate does not have an expiry date. However, based on industry best practice guidelines, the recommended renewal period for this training is 3 years. We will print this recommended renewal date on your certificate.
Screenshots (click to view)
If you wish to try this course then register for a demo by clicking the 'interactive demo' button. You will be given the option to purchase and continue with your course at the end of your demo!
Interactive Demo
Course content
| Module | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Autism | What is autism?, why is understanding autism important?, inclusivity and equity, autism timeline, common misconceptions, the autism spectrum, describing autism, medical vs. social models, neurodiversity and neurodivergence. |
| 2 | Areas of Difference | Areas of strength, communication and language, differences in social interaction, repetitive interests, behaviours, and activities, montropism, sensory differences, scenario exercises (Choose Your Path options), meltdowns, shutdowns and autistic fatigue, potentially co-occurring challenges, autism and mental health. |
| 3 | Identifying Autism | Pre-diagnosis - children and young people, pre-diagnosis - adults, diagnostic criteria, autism assessments, masking, autistic girls and women, cultural differences and diagnosis, pathological demand avoidance (PDA), education, health, and care (EHC) plans. |
| 4 | Supporting Autistic Individuals | An individualised approach, specialist input, general strategies, managing uncertainty, anxiety and overwhelm, recognising and expressing emotion, managing uncertainty, supporting transitions, calming strategies, supporting communication differences, supporting social interaction, bullying, supporting sensory differences. |
| 5 | Supportive Strategies (Choose Your Path) | Choose Your Path sections: supporting autistic individuals as parents or carers (supporting education, health, and care needs, supporting educational needs, the Graduated Approach, home school communication, embracing autistic identity, food issues, sleep issues, online safety, support for parents and carers); supporting individuals with PDA; supporting autistic individuals as health and social care professionals (guidance, the Oliver McGowan mandatory training); supporting autistic individuals in the workplace (reasonable adjustments, the recruitment process, the working environment, communication in the workplace, workplace culture); what is advocacy? |
Download Course Overview (PDF)
Aims of the course
By the end of this course you will:
- Understand what autism is, and the terminology associated with it.
- Understand the need to approach autism as a difference, rather than a disorder or impairment.
- Understand how autism may be identified and diagnosed.
- Understand the areas of difference and how these may affect an individual.
- Understand that every autistic individual experiences autism differently and that an individual’s strengths, aspirations, and needs should drive any provision.
- Understand what is meant by advocacy and ways in which autistic individuals can be supported.
- Understand and identify some strategies that can help to support autistic individuals in a range of contexts.
Assessment
The online assessment is taken on completion of the training material. You will be asked 20 multiple choice questions with a pass mark of 80%. The answers are marked automatically so you will instantly know whether you have passed. If you don't pass don't worry! You can take the test as many times as you need with no extra charge.
