Working with Children and Adolescents with Autism in Mainstream School
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Course Date:  Refer to Calendar page.

Normal Fee: $580. Funding details available at the Funding page.


​Course Overview

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have core difficulties in social interaction and communication, as well as inflexibility in thoughts and behaviours. For students with ASD in Mainstream schools, despite having the intellectual ability to learn mainstream curriculum, their core difficulties often made it challenging for them to understand the social expectations and cope with the social demands in school. 

In order to provide good support for students with ASD, it is important to understand their unique thought processes about the varied social situations. There are also many effective strategies and techniques that can be easily used with students with ASD to help them cope better with the social demands in the environment. In this 1-day workshop, we will be sharing many examples of how students with ASD perceived their environment as well as covering all the important strategies that will be helpful for these students to cope well in the school setting. 

This skills training has 4 major components.
  • Part 1 covers an overview of the difficulties and needs of students with ASD in the school setting. Participants will get to understand how students ASD see and understand the world, as well as how they respond to their environment.
  • Part 2 focuses on teaching participants about the learning needs of students with ASD. Autism friendly educational strategies will be shared.
  • Part 3 looks at the struggles of students with ASD in dealing with the varied social situations in school. Varied strategies to help students with ASD in their social skills will be shared.
  • Lastly, Part 4 covers the emotional issues that students with ASD commonly faced in schools. We will be sharing some strategies that will be helpful for the students to deal with their emotions effectively.

This workshop is designed especially for professionals that are working with students with ASD who has the ability to access mainstream curriculum.  Parents who are keen to support their child in their school coping will also find this course insightful. 


About the Workshop Facilitator
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The workshop facilitator is Ms Cindy Kua. She has more than 12 years of experience working with children, adolescents and young adults with ASD of all levels of functioning, age ranging from 2-23 years old.  She previously worked in Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in the Child Guidance Clinic (CGC) as a Senior Psychologist, mainly supporting children and adolescents with ASD on their emotional and behavioural issues. Before being a psychologist, Cindy has worked as a teacher in the Autism Association, as a home-based therapist and shadow teacher for students with ASD.


Target Audience

It is suitable for:
 
  • Teachers, Counsellors, Allied Educators, School Leaders working with Individuals with High-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Therapists and other Professionals working with Individuals with High-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Parents of children or adolescents with ASD that are currently studying in Pre-schools, Primary and Secondary schools, Junior College, and Institutions

Duration
1 day (9 am - 5 pm).

Workshop Topics:

Part A: Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) 
  • Core impairments in individuals with ASD – Triads of impairment
  • How these impairments are presented in the school setting?
  • Seeing the world from the Autism lens
  • Tapping on the strengths of individuals with ASD in supporting their growth
  • Other issues in individuals with ASD
  • Sensory issues
  • Emotion Regulation issues
  • Co-morbid mental health issues
    • ADHD in Autism
    • Anxiety in Autism, etc.
 
Part B: Supporting the Learning Needs of students with ASD 
  • Structuring the environment to improve attention and engagement in class
  • Strategies to aid learning and development of good work habits
  • Practice Time
  • Case Studies on specific learning issues (in setting relevant to the audience)
    • Discussion and application of strategy
    • Presentation from all groups
  • Feedback and addressing any obstacles that are anticipated in the application of strategies
 
Part C: Supporting Social Coping in School 
  • Social demands that are commonly challenging for students with ASD in school
  • How will they show these challenges?
  • Strategies in supporting the student’s social coping
  • Practice Time
  • Case Studies on specific social issues (in setting relevant to the audience)
    • Discussion and application of strategy
    • Presentation from all groups
  • Feedback and addressing any obstacles that are anticipated in the application of strategies
 
Part D: Supporting Emotional Coping in School 
  • Anxiety and Anger
  • Common anxiety and anger behaviours and issues in school
  • Strategies to help students with anxiety and anger manage their emotions in school
  •  Practice Time
  • Case studies on specific emotion-related issues (in setting relevant to the audience)
    • Discussion and application of strategy
    • Presentation from all groups
  • Feedback and addressing any obstacles that are anticipated in the application of strategies
 
Part E: Putting Things Together 
  • Case studies – Drafting a plan to support the student with ASD on their learning, social and emotional coping in the various settings.
  • Working with families – Collaborating with parents and professionals to meet the student’s needs in school
 
Click here for funding details. Terms and Conditions apply.