Sensory Integration Education

For many autistic children, school can be an overwhelming and anxiety-provoking environment. With so many stimuli and demands, even simple tasks can become daunting, leading to meltdowns, withdrawal, and avoidance. Teachers and teaching assistants play a critical role in creating a positive learning environment for these children and helping them overcome anxiety and overwhelm. That's where the Supporting Autistic Children with Anxiety in School training course comes in.

Designed and Delivered by Experts

The course is designed by Lynn McCann, an Autism, ADHD & PDA Specialist Teacher, Trainer & Author with over 30 years of experience in teaching. Along with Occupational Therapist, Emer Broderick, McCann shares clear and practical information for mainstream classroom staff who teach autistic children struggling with anxiety. The course is delivered online, making it accessible and flexible for busy educators.

Sensory Strategies for Mainstream Classrooms

One of the course's primary focuses is on sensory strategies that work in mainstream classrooms. Autistic children can experience heightened stress, fear, and discomfort in the school environment, affecting their ability to learn, focus, and interact with others. Adapting teaching to use strategies to address potential triggers for anxiety can minimise disruptive behaviours and create a positive learning environment.

Help for Teachers and Teaching Assistants

The course aims to help teachers and teaching assistants understand when and why everyday sensory and learning experiences can become overwhelming for autistic children with anxiety. Participants will learn to identify and adapt potential challenges before things escalate into a meltdown to keep autistic learners engaged and on-task. They will also learn evidence-based sensory strategies that work in mainstream classrooms.

Learn What Autistic Anxiety Looks Like 

By the end of the course, participants will have a better understanding of what anxiety in the context of autism looks like in classroom behaviour. They will recognise the obvious and less obvious sources of anxiety for autistic children in the mainstream classroom and understand which adaptations to the demands of task and environment are likely to be most effective and least disruptive. Participants will also learn to plan effective strategies that can be incorporated at a whole-class level, monitor their impact, and know where to go for more support if needed.

McCann's extensive experience in teaching, working with primary, secondary, and special schools to support their autistic pupils, makes her a valuable resource in this training course. She has delivered training for parents, teachers, and businesses and written five books for teachers, including the latest two full of the personal experiences of autistic young people in the All About SEND series by Routledge.

Find out more about this affordable and accessible course: Supporting Autistic Children with Anxiety in School.