Certificate Course Content

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Overview
An introductory session discussing characteristics, supports, approaches, prevalence, history, diagnosis, and research indicating possible causes of Autism that will lay the ground work for the following sessions.

Communications Strategies.
Identify methods of communication, communication accommodations, ways to create a context for communication, and ways of being a supportive communication partner.

Complementary and Alternative Treatments
Explores a number of complementary and alternative treatments, including ways to determine if a treatment is evidence based and its potential for positive or negative effects.

Diet and Nutrition
Explains ways to maximize nutrition intake from foods, history of common food intolerances and allergies, the contemplation of diet interventions and ways of implementing these without losing nutrition.

Evidence-Based Research Lab
An opportunity to identify evidenced-based information about Autism. Create a resource of websites with valuable information about Autism to share with the class.

Family Perspectives
Explore how a diagnosis of autism can impact a family. Identify key challenges faced by families, share the joys and opportunities a child with autism can bring to a family, and explore the ways service providers and educators can work with families for the child’s and family’s benefit without overstepping boundaries.

Hidden Curriculum
The Hidden Curriculum includes indirect or unwritten social rules and expectations of behavior that most people appear to know, but have never been explicitly taught. Participants will discuss these social rules and then develop activities to teach people on the Spectrum about the rules and how to follow the hidden rules of behavior.

Positive Behavior Supports
Be proactive and set the stage for success by understanding the function of a behavior, the role of communication, accessing the situation, and implementing a "function-based" plan.

Sensory Input, Impact, and Implications for Persons with Autism
Learn about Sensory Integration, Sensory Integration Dysfunction and what we can do to treat Sensory Integration Dysfunction.

Social Learning Skills
This session will focus on theory and application of social learning approaches. Participants will be given instruction and be able to develop approaches such as social reviews, social stories, power cards, and comic strip conversations.

Visual Strategies
Help individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders become more independent through specific teaching strategies that include visual scheduling, modifying the environment, "learning how to learn" through use of consistent systems and by visually displaying preferred activities and reinforcement opportunities.

Summary
An open discussion, allowing participants to review knowledge gained and how this knowledge can be applied to actual situations. Each participant, during the course of this training, will read, and be expected to summarize, an autobiography of a person with autism.