Supporting People with Autistic Spectrum Condition

This one day course focuses on background issues and is intended to raise awareness of the experience of the person with Autistic Spectrum Condition, as well as those people involved with them.

The course is also practice orientated and serves to provide a range of working methods and interventions so as to provide the best support possible. This course will not only be packed with information but will be lively and interactive.

The course combines the section of the Learning Disability Knowledge Set of the same name and includes:

• Understanding ASC
• The law and policies
• Getting to know the person you support
• How to support the person through good practice

The course certificate will provide details of achieved learning as a reference for those who may wish to achieve accredited Awards.

Learning objectives:

By the end of the course the learner should understand:

The condition

• What is Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC)
• The different theories about the condition
• Recent research and findings-Sources of information and advice
• Problems with diagnosis
• An historical perspective and more recent developments including the Autism rights movement
• ASC and Learning Disabilities
• The sub-groups e.g. Asperger’s
• Definitions and range – The spectrum
• ASC and emotional/social development
• Problems with diagnosis
• Facts and Figures
• ASC in childhood and adulthood
• Behaviours associated with ASC
• Features associated with ASC – e.g. Learning Disability, fragmentation, hypersensitivity, touch defensiveness, sensory overload, body dismorphism etc.
• Cognition and Theory of Mind -understanding different cognitive and perception problems
• The law as it relates to the condition

This is a person first (who has a condition)

• What it might be like to have the condition:
        -Physically
        -Emotionally
        -Socially
• People are individuals with unique personalities and potential
• Difficulties and strengths that people may have
• How stress can impact on the person
• How different sensory experience may impact on the person
• What different people need
• How people can be stereotyped, marginalised and discriminated against
• Challenges that might face the person’s family, partners etc.

Treatment and Support

• What is meant by the medical and social models
• Different approaches to treatment and support e.g. DLT, Drug therapies, Lovaas, Groden, Sonrise, Eden, etc.
• Supporting complex needs including behaviour that challenges services we provide – e.g. pica, rituals, OCD, self-harming, aggression etc.
• Achieving change and progress
• Communication issues – understanding weak central coherence including hyper-selectivity and over-generalisation, disassociation rather than association
• How to best work with families/carers
• The importance of getting to know the individual, their preferences, individual challenges, hopes and dreams
• The importance of active listening skills
• What is meant by working in a Person Centred way
• Issues for developing future practice-including self-directed care

Training methods:

• Experiential exercises
• Group exercises
• Case studies
• Individual worksheet
• Tasks
• Group discussion
• Tutor presentations
• OHP/PowerPoint
• Chalk & Talk
• Ideas shower
• Handouts
• Video/DVD

CP89/4.9