Autism and the Primary School Parent Training Programme, with a focus on Early Years - St Joseph's Nursery, Antrim

Supporting Autistic Learners

This training session is designed to build understanding of how autistic children may perceive, process, and engage with the world around them.
It acknowledges the strengths many autistic children may have in visual processing and explores how the use of visuals can support learning, reduce anxiety, and promote inclusion across a range of environments.

Participants will gain insight into:

• The value of visual teaching approaches and how they can align with an individual child’s natural learning preferences.
• How visual supports can enhance communication, learning and wellbeing across home, school, and community settings.
• The integration of visual supports with other approaches to create consistent and supportive environments.  
• A range of adaptable visual approaches that respects each child’s unique strengths, needs, and interests.

Autism and Communication
This training opportunity session explores the differences between neurotypical and autistic communication styles. It equips participants with the knowledge needed to recognise and respect communication differences, as well as adjust their own communication approach to effectively assist autistic children in both home and school settings.

Participants will:

• Explore current relevant theories pertaining to communication differences.
• Gain insight into their own communication tendencies and how these can either help or hinder autistic individuals in their communication.
• Explore various supportive practices to enhance both the understanding and expression of communication in a supportive manner.

This session explores the differences in neurotypical versus autistic communication styles. It provides delegates with an understanding of how to appreciate communication differences and adapt their communication style to better support autistic children and young people at home and school.

Autism and Sensory Processing
Sensory processing refers to the ability of a child to register, interpret and respond to sensory information. This is a complex process involving all the sensory systems, auditory, gustatory, visual, olfactory, tactile, proprioceptive, vestibular, and interoception. When sensory processing is working well, a child can engage in daily functional activities and social interaction. Sensory processing differences are prevalent in autistic children and can affect every aspect of life and development.

This session examines the sensory processing differences experienced by many autistic children and will demonstrate how such differences impact on learning, play, social interactions, and behaviour for the primary school aged child.

Participants will: 

• Develop an understanding of the sensory processing differences.
• Appreciate how sensory processing differences can affect the child’s experience at school.
• Understand how sensory processing differences can influence the child’s participation in daily activities.
• Develop an understanding of general intervention supports to accommodate sensory processing differences in daily activities at school and beyond.
• How sensory processing differences can present in an autistic child.
• Supportive approaches to address sensory processing differences in school or the family home.

Autism, Understanding Anxiety and Reframing Behaviour
This training course will help parents and education professionals understand the stresses autistic children experience, particularly within the Early Years environment.  We will discuss the external environmental demands and stress experienced by many autistic children which can contribute to anxiety experiences.

This training will also introduce participants to the ongoing paradigm shift in understanding behaviour from a physiological perspective, drawing on research from neuroscience, psychology, and interpersonal neurobiology. 

Participants will understand:

• The relationship between autism and anxiety, and how anxiety affects our body and mind and thus the impact on the young child’s behaviour.
• Furthermore, participants will be supported to understand the underlying factors contributing to distressed behaviours, and how supporting professionals can help. 
• Participants will be supported to consider behavioural differences that are authentic to the autistic young child and their invaluable role in maintaining joy in their lives. 

During the course, we will explore a range of supports and resources which can be used to support an autistic young child.