Autism Training Workshops

Aware­ness Train­ing (3-hour work­shop) This is an intro­duc­tory train­ing intended to give par­tic­i­pants an aware­ness or gen­eral under­stand­ing of autism. This work­shop focuses on the char­ac­ter­is­tics of autism and the visual sys­tems that help peo­ple with autism to under­stand their envi­ron­ment. It is an ideal begin­ning for direct care staff, fam­ily mem­bers, respite sup­port staff and in-home care work­ers as well as pro­gram managers.

Knowl­edge Level Train­ing (6 hour work­shop) This train­ing focuses on autism facts, char­ac­ter­is­tics and strate­gies that help peo­ple with autism to have more inde­pen­dence in their daily activ­i­ties. Par­tic­i­pants will gain a bet­ter under­stand­ing of:

• How the char­ac­ter­is­tics of autism affect the indi­vid­ual;
• Orga­niz­ing the envi­ron­ment to max­i­mize under­stand­ing, inde­pen­dence and suc­cess;
• Devel­op­ing visual sup­ports to accom­mo­date the individual’s learn­ing style;
• Begin­ning expres­sive and recep­tive com­mu­ni­ca­tion sys­tems;
• Design­ing and adapt­ing mate­ri­als that will pro­vide clear instructions.

Work­shop par­tic­i­pants will focus on an indi­vid­ual they know. This work­shop is espe­cially designed for peo­ple imple­ment­ing visual strate­gies such as direct care staff, fam­i­lies, edu­ca­tors and agency administrators.

Hands-On Train­ing (3 day Work­shop) In this work­shop, par­tic­i­pants will prac­tice apply­ing the prin­ci­ples of visual struc­ture under the guid­ance of OTAC train­ers. Three indi­vid­u­als with autism will be present for the work­shop as co-trainers. Work­ing in teams led by OTAC train­ers, par­tic­i­pants will con­duct assess­ments, develop mate­ri­als and teach indi­vid­u­als with autism. This practicum is designed for peo­ple using visual struc­ture on a reg­u­lar basis, such as pro­gram man­agers, care staff, edu­ca­tors and others.

Fam­ily Train­ing (1  day work­shop) This train­ing will focuses on how envi­ron­men­tal struc­ture, visual sys­tems and rou­tine ways of pre­sent­ing infor­ma­tion can help a child under­stand more. Par­ents will learn how to look at their child’s behav­ior through the cul­ture of autism. They will be pro­vided with a process that will help cre­ate a pos­i­tive sup­port plan for their son or daugh­ter.

Key top­ics cov­ered include:

• How autism affects a child’s behavior
• The impor­tance of envi­ron­men­tal struc­ture for a child with autism
• How visual sys­tems and rou­tine ways of pre­sent­ing infor­ma­tion can help a child with autism under­stand more
• Expres­sive and recep­tive com­mu­ni­ca­tion
• Pos­i­tive behav­ioral sup­port strategies

OTAC’s work in Autism Spectrum Disorders can be obtained through either Community Supports & Crisis Intervention Project or by hiring OTAC privately.

For more infor­ma­tion about any of our Autism Spectrum Disorder resources, please con­tact us.