Autism Education Trust Autism and Anxiety Module Friday 7th June 2024 Oakhill Centre

Who is this module for? 

This module on autism and anxiety in schools will provide delegates with an understanding of what we mean by anxiety, how it appears in autistic children and young people (CYP), what the key triggers are, and what teaching staff can do to support autistic pupils.

It is designed so that the training can be delivered to staff working with different age groups and in mainstream and specialist school settings. However, there is a need for the trainer to adapt its use, the resources, and the examples that are given for the delegates they are training.

There are resources, a reading list, and academic papers that you can refer to. These are all free to access and can be downloaded. There is also a document on suggested reasonable adjustments to reduce anxiety.  These training materials will be linked in the training materials section of this delegate pack or shared directly with you by the trainer.

Delegates will be encouraged to reflect on their own experiences with anxiety, what they have found useful in reducing their own anxiety, and what has worked for them in practice when looking to address anxious thoughts and feelings in CYP.

The aims

After completing this module, you will be able to understand:

• How autistic CYP might express anxiety.
• What can cause anxiety in autistic CYP.
• What you can do to prevent and reduce anxiety in autistic CYP.

Learning objectives

After completing ‘Autism and anxiety’, participants will be able:

• To have greater knowledge about how prevalent and impactful anxiety can be on autistic pupils
• To learn that anxiety can be transactional and we all have a role in reducing anxiety in school
• To understand that there is a toolbox of approaches that can be used to reduce anxiety and the first step is to learn about the individual’s triggers and preferred means of support
• To understand that by reducing anxiety we can significantly improve a CYP’s ability to engage with school life and their peers, as well as improve general well-being.