Autism and the Primary School Joint Training Programme (Webinar Online) 19.04.27 - 24.05.27

Supporting Autistic Learners Primary school is a formative environment for all children, not only for learning, but for developing a sense of identity, belonging, and safety. For autistic children, these years are especially significant. How adults understand autism, respond to difference, and structure school environments can profoundly shape a child's emotional wellbeing and long term relationship with learning. Autism is a naturally occurring form of human neurodiversity. Autistic ways of sensing, communicating, moving, thinking, and regulating are not deficits or delays to be remediated. They are meaningful expressions of neurological difference. A neuroaffirming approach asks us not how to make autistic children fit school, but how schools can honour autistic children as full members of the community. Many autistic children demonstrate strong visual and contextual processing skills. When learning environments are thoughtfully designed, visual and environmental supports can reduce uncertainty, support understanding, and enhance a child's sense of agency. Used respectfully, these supports do not control behaviour; they increase access. Parents and educators will explore: Why visual supports often align naturally with autistic processing styles. How visuals can support learning, communication, and regulation while respecting autonomy. How consistency across home and school promotes emotional safety. Flexible visual strategies that reflect each child’s unique strengths, interests, culture, and identity.

Autism and Communication Autistic communication is different, not disordered. Primary aged autistic children may communicate through speech, AAC, visuals, movement, echolalia, play, behaviour, regulation shifts, or silence. All of these are meaningful. A neuroaffirming school does not privilege one form of communication over another. It listens broadly and responds generously. Parents and professionals will: Explore contemporary neuroaffirming understandings of autistic communication. Reflect on how adult communication styles and expectations can unintentionally create barriers. Learn supportive practices that honour receptive, expressive, and relational communication across play, learning, and daily routines. The focus is on relationship, trust, and understanding, not normalising communication at the expense of authenticity.

Autism and Sensory Processing Sensory processing differences are a core part of autistic neurology. In primary school classrooms, often busy, noisy, and unpredictable, sensory experiences can strongly shape a child's regulation and ability to engage. Sensory distress is not misbehaviour. It is the nervous system communicating. Participants will develop a shared understanding of: How sensory processing affects regulation, learning, and participation. Why children respond differently to the same environment. The importance of identifying each child's individual sensory profile. How to adapt classrooms, routines, and expectations to support comfort and agency. The emphasis is on changing environments, not children.

Autism and Understanding Anxiety Anxiety in autistic children is common, understandable, and often misinterpreted. It frequently arises when environments are unpredictable, demands outpace regulation, or a child feels misunderstood or unsafe. Anxiety is not a behavioural problem, it is information. Parents and educators will: Learn to recognise early, individual signs of stress and anxiety. Develop proactive, compassionate strategies that reduce pressure and increase predictability. Explore cognitively based supports adapted for developmental stage and autistic processing styles. When adults respond early and collaboratively, children are less likely to experience escalating distress.

Autism and Reframing Behaviour This session reflects a crucial shift in how behaviour is understood in primary education. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and interpersonal neurobiology, behaviour is approached as communication and regulation, not compliance or defiance. Many behaviours labelled "challenging" are adaptive responses to overwhelm, fear, or unmet needs. Other behaviours, such as stimming, movement, repetition, or withdrawal, are often essential for regulation, focus, and joy. Participants will explore: The neuroaffirming perspective on behaviour as communication. The role of felt safety and neuroception in children's behaviour. How adult regulation influences child regulation. Why protecting a child's dignity is central to learning and wellbeing. Adults will be supported to reflect on their own assumptions, responses, and emotional regulation as part of ethical care.