Supporting Autistic Students' Wellbeing

Why join this programme?

This programme aims to increase understanding of mental health in autistic and ADHD students, and to support school staff to create more inclusive learning environments for neurodivergent students, both diagnosed and undiagnosed.

The course has been developed by world leaders in neurodiversity research and features resources co-produced by neurodivergent people of all ages. The programme also includes three follow-up mentoring sessions to help staff embed their learning and adapt approaches within their own school settings.

We are offering this paid-for course for those who are not eligible for funded places on our Neurodiversity and Wellbeing in Schools​ Programme.

Training content

Day 1: Online

• Introductions and course rationale

• Difference, disorder, superpower? Communications styles and the double empathy problem

• Neurodiversity heuristics and biases

• An Experience-Sensitive approach: agency, belonging and collaboration

• Sensory processing

• Intersectionality of gender, neurodivergence and wellbeing

Day 2: Online

• Neurodivergent mental health: masking, low mood, irritability, anxiety, stress and emotion regulation

• Neurodivergent mental health: attendance, self-harm, suicidality

• Neurodivergent mental health: meltdowns & shutdowns from an experience sensitive approach

• The SPELL framework

• Applying cognitive styles, monotropism, flow and joy in real classrooms

Aims of this programme

By the end of this programme, you will be able to:

• Understand autistic, ADHD and AuDHD communication, thinking styles and sensory processing differences.

• Understand the impact of commonly co-occurring neurodivergences and disabilities in autistic and ADHD students.

• Recognise common upsetting experiences of autistic and ADHD students, and how these interact with school environments to increase the risk of mental ill health.

• Identify opportunities for joy, agency, belonging and flow at school.

• Apply an explicit Experience-Sensitive Approach that reframes behaviours shaped by lived experience and supports wellbeing for students and staff.

• Understand intersectionality of gender, neurodivergence and wellbeing through an Experience-Sensitive lens of agency, belonging, and collaboration.

Who is this training for?

This training course is suitable for anyone working with staff in a school, college or community setting.