Autism and the Post Primary School Programme (Oaklands Community College, Co. Offaly, for Professionals, all 4 sessions)

Autism, Learning Styles, and Visual Teaching Methods
This training session will provide information and practical strategies in the functional use of visual supports.   
The focus of this course is in understanding the learning style and needs of the autistic student and how these can be facilitated using visual strategies. This will assist those working with the young person in the teaching of life skills, emotional regulation, and daily planning, creating opportunities for independence.
Expected Outcomes
Understand how visual strategies support the thinking and learning style of autistic young people.
Understand how visual supports can be generalised and can build on the learning experience in school, home, and the wider community.
Learn how to develop visual supports and implement visual strategies in a practical manner to maximise young person’s strengths and provide support if necessary.

Autism and Communication
Communication is a multi-faceted, complex interaction involving mastery in many of the following,
•    Understanding non-verbal cues  
•    Command of tone of voice  
•    Command of facial expressions  
•    Understanding different purposes of conversation  
•    Sense of humour  
•    Familiarity with social courtesies  
•    Making the abstract concrete  
•    Visual structure and predictable routines  
•    Activities that provide support for language abilities  
•    Interactions that provide focus on peers and self-awareness  
•    Generalisations  
Communication can, therefore, be challenging for many autistic young people. Many want to be socially interactive, make friends and form relationships, be included within the classroom and wider community, but find it difficult because of the many social conventions needed to achieve effective communication.
Young autistic people experiencing such difficulties may find it hard to understand the messages being given, such as the meaning others put into their voice, the expressions on their faces, and gestures such as waving, pointing or shrugging.

Participants will have an increased understanding of
•    How communication is defined. 
•   Communication difficulties 
•    Best practices in supporting the young person in the classroom, family home and wider community
•    The importance of visual information as it remains available long enough to enable the young person to focus on it or return to it as needed to establish memory for the message it is communicating.
•    Visual tools provide a non-transient foundation for more effective communication. 
•    How to use the strengths of the autistic young person to help him or her communicate effectively.
 

Autism and Sensory Processing
Sensory procesasing refers to the ability of a student 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 young person can engage in daily functional activities and social interaction. Sensory processing differences are prevalent in autistic young people and can affect every aspect of life and development.
This session examines the sensory processing differences and will demonstrate how such differences impact on learning, leisure activities and choices, social interactions, and behaviour in school. 
Participants will: 
•    Develop a basic understanding of some of the sensory processing differences. 
•    Understand how sensory processing differences can affect the young person’s experience in school. 
•    Gain knowledge of strategies, which will assist in meeting the young person’s sensory needs. 

Autism and Understanding Anxiety
Post Primary aged autistic students experience anxiety in many situations, with some experiencing significant anxiety difficulties. 
This session is an introduction to strategies that can be used to alleviate the experience of anxiety in autistic students. This will include an introduction to cognitively based strategies and how to develop student centred strategies to deal with anxiety.
This will include:
•    An introduction to cognitively based strategies 
•    How to develop student centred strategies to deal with anxiety.
Participants will: 
•    Understand how the difficulties experienced by autistic students, including sensory difficulties, can contribute to the development of anxiety.
•    Understand how anxiety can escalate and may result in an emotional stress response.
•    Develop some simple strategies to prevent the escalation of anxiety.
•    Understand the basics of cognitively based management approaches.
Course Overview
•    Anxiety triggers and build up.
•    “On the spot” anxiety management strategies.
•    Developing a “stress kit.”
•    Cognitively based approaches and the emotional toolkit