Course Overview

First identified over 70 years ago, autism is a lifelong developmental disability affecting how a person communicates with and relates to others, and how they make sense of the world. It is a spectrum condition; all people on the spectrum share certain difficulties, but their condition will affect them in different ways. Around 700,000 people in the UK are on the spectrum, 1 in every 100 people. There are no blood tests or brain scans that will detect autism – so what exactly are we talking about? Does autism actually exist?

This course provides perspectives from people on the autism spectrum about how autism is defined and experienced. The course will enable learners to recognise the strengths and challenges experienced by many autistic people and how to respond to create enabling environments.

What will you achieve?

• Explain what autism is, and evaluate whether it really exists
• Identify social communication skills and explain what happens if they do not develop as expected
• Summarise knowledge of sensory and repetitive behaviours, and whether such behaviours are advantages or disadvantages
• Explain why many people on the autism spectrum have co-occurring conditions
• Identify the origins of strengths and difficulties experienced by people on the autism spectrum
• Explore and discuss lived experiences of people on the autism spectrum

By the end of this module you should be able to:

• outline how autism has come to be defined and diagnosed
• describe common difficulties often faced by people with autism
• describe some of the strengths and unique attributes of people with autism
• challenge common stereotypes about people on the autism spectrum
• recognise how to make environments more enabling for people on the autism spectrum.

Who is this course for?

You don’t need any prior experience or qualifications to do this course but it might be of interest to practitioners in the field of autism, healthcare workers, people on the autism spectrum, and parents or carers.