ONLINE COURSE: Understanding and Supporting Nonverbal Autism

$230.00

Details

5 hours 27 mins
60 days to complete course – Extend anytime
Downloadable PDFs
Certificate of completion
Suitable for everyone

Topics Covered

Strategies to develop communication skills for those who have limited speech
The learning profile associated with nonverbal autism and strategies to encourage the acquisition of academic and daily living skills
The effects of social experiences and facilitating social engagement
The sensory profile of autism and how to accommodate sensory sensitivity
The signs of increasing anxiety, anger or despair and how to manage and moderate emotional reactions
The event was formerly titled “Challenging Behaviour and Autism” and the content has been updated to include new material and research findings

Who will benefit?

Parents
Family Members
Health and Educational Professionals who see autistic children and/or adolescents who have limited speech as part of their practice, including: Psychologists, Teachers, Teachers Assistants, Teachers Aides, Special Education Teachers, Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, GPs, Paediatric Psychiatrists, Paediatricians

Description

Challenging behaviour, including for example hitting, kicking, pushing, shouting, biting, head banging and other forms of self-injury, is distressing for the person with autism, as well as for their families and people who work with them.

These behaviours can result in a number of social problems including unsafe home, school and work settings, exclusion from school and community events, and burn-out for parents, carers and professionals.

The course will equip participants to understand the reasons behind the challenging behaviour to working hypotheses that will meaningfully inform a positive behavioural support plan. Participants will learn effective strategies to assist to develop communication tools, teach new behaviours effectively, encourage good social outcomes, accommodate sensory sensitivity and manage strong emotions.

About the speakers

Prof Tony Attwood PhD With a career spanning five decades, Professor Tony Attwood is considered to be one of the world’s foremost experts on Autism Spectrum Disorder. He has an Honour’s degree in Psychology from the University of Hull, a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Surrey and a PhD from the University of London. He is currently an adjunct Professor at Griffith University in Queensland. Tony has written many publications on Asperger’s Syndrome. His original book, titled Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals was published in 1998 and has been translated into over 25 languages.

Tony operates a diagnostic and psychological support clinic two days a week for children and adults. He also spends considerable time travelling nationally and internationally to present workshops and seminars.

Dr Michelle Garnett PhD is a clinical psychologist who has specialised in autism for nearly three decades. Her peer-reviewed research has informed understanding of early detection, the female profile and the importance of good mental health for autistic individuals. She has co-authored six highly regarded books on autism, five with Prof Tony Attwood. Her 2018 book with Barb Cook is a seminal work on the female presentation, Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism. Her most recent books Having Fun with Feelings on the Autism Spectrum and Ten Steps to Reducing Your Child Anxiety on the Autism Spectrum provide guidance to parents of young children on the autism spectrum. She regularly provides training to four Australian Universities.

Module Breakdown

Module 1 – Participants will gain increased understanding of common speech and language disorders that can co-occur with autism and how these can contribute to the emergence and maintenance of challenging behaviour. A programme based on scientific research, clinical wisdom and specific knowledge of autism is described for encouraging language in children with nonverbal autism. Participants will learn strategies for recognising the early signs of strong emotion and how to intervene at each level of emotional arousal for children with nonverbal autism.

Module 2 – Participants will develop an awareness of key aspects of the learning profile in autism. Equipped with an understanding of how autistic individuals learn, participants will be able to apply this knowledge to their teaching methods, as parents, carers, teachers and therapists.

Module 3 – Narrow circumscribed interests are often part of the autism profile and it can be difficult to know when to intervene. Participants will learn the reasons behind the special interests of autism, why these develop, the functions they serve, and when to act to modify the interest or decrease the time spent on the interest.

Module 4 – Social communication issues are one of the defining features of autism, and the source of marked distress and confusion, leading to challenging behavior. Participants will leave the course with an understanding of the key issues underlying social communication problems in autism, how to encourage social skills in autism, and how to make interactions with people on the autism spectrum successful.

Module 5 – Sensory overwhelm can be a key factor behind challenging behaviour. Participants will learn how to recognise and assess sensory processing differences, and how to intervene to manage a broad variety of sensory issues, including visual, auditory, taste, smell, touch, vestibular, interoceptive, proprioceptive and vestibular sensory issues.

Module 6 – Participants will learn why people with autism tend to experience very strong emotions that can underpin challenging behaviour. They will leave the course understanding the neurology behind difficulties expressing emotion in autism, and will learn practical strategies to assist a person on the autism spectrum to manage anger, anxiety and stress without challenging behaviour.

Module 7 – Some of the issues people with autism face that can lead to challenging behaviour are movement disorders and underlying medical issues. The course covers various movements disorders medical conditions that commonly occur in autism. Participants will learn how these can be masked and the importance of recognising these when faced with challenging behaviour.

NDIS Funding

Does your Child or Adolescent have NDIS Funding?

If you are self-managed or third party-managed and parent education is in the Plan you can use your NDIS funding to attend this event.