Thurrock EY Making Sense of Autism 6 March 2023

Who is this module for?

This module is for anyone working in an Early Years environment. This module is suitable for a range of workers, including, for example: nursery managers, teachers, Early Years practitioners, play group assistants, nursery assistants, child care workers, office staff and lunch time staff.

Description

This module is an awareness-raising module that introduces autism and the areas of difference, which can include: Social Understanding and Communication, Flexibility, Information Processing and Understanding and Sensory Processing and Integration, among other things. We explore areas of difference in terms of strengths and support needs and identify some initial reasonable adjustments that need to be considered when supporting autistic pupils, including the creation and use of a OnePage Profile.   

The aims

The aims of Making sense of autism in the Early Years are:

• Extend delegates’ understanding of how autism affects pupils in the Early Years
• Increase delegates’ expertise in recognising an autistic child’s individual strengths and differences
• Develop delegates’ skills in identifying barriers to learning for autistic children
• Develop delegates’ understanding of what reasonable adjustments need to be made to support an autistic child in their setting

Learning objectives

After completing ‘Making Sense of Autism in the Early Years', you will be able to:

• Approach autism as a difference rather than as a deficit or disorder
• Recognise the three areas of difference for autistic children and the importance of identifying strengths and differences.
• Listen to and learn from the perspectives of autistic children and their parents/carers
• Reflect on their professional practice and implement reasonable adjustments to support autistic children.

Session length

This training module is designed to be used flexibly, with trainers using the time available in the way that best suits their audience.We have provided a training module and materials that can be covered in a 90-minute session using the core slides but there is more content available for the trainer to adapt and use in an extended session.