The Best Free Autism Courses For Teaching Assistants

The 5 Best Free Online Autism Courses for Teaching Assistants in 2023

A common question I am asked on our Facebook page is “What are the Best Free Autism Courses for Teaching Assistants?” I will share the professional development courses our TA’s have been accessing this year. There is a lot of evidence about effective professional development now so I urge you to look at your school’s wider CPD offer and how these online courses fit in.

1. Free Online Understanding Autism Course

Developed by the University of Kent for Futurelearn this is my top pick for anyone working with autistic children and young people. It features Autistic voice and up to date information throughout. Videos and reading are included. You only need to pay for a certificate.

2. Free TEDed Lesson Educating a neurodiverse world

This TEDEd video lesson is for those who work in education. If we want to create learning communities that include everyone, it would be helpful for us to better understand Neurodiversity. Brian Kinghorn, in a passionate talk, shares a vision for a world that doesn’t just accept people who think differently, but moves towards “neuroharmony”: a world where people with typical thinking and people who think differently coexist by recognising each other’s strengths and abilities.

Autistica Webinar: Autism and Masking

Okay not strictly a course but a fantastic webinar. Autistica is the UK’s leading autism research and campaigning charity. Their vision is a world where every autistic person lives a happy, healthy, long life. Delivered by the authors behind the book Autism and Masking: How and Why People Do It and the Impact It Can Have. Dr Felicity Sedgewick, Dr Laura Hull and Helen Ellis took us through the work that sits behind their book.

4. WeCanAccess Academy: Encouraging Inclusion in The Classroom

WeCanAccess is a social enterprise that is working internationally to improve accessibility and inclusion. Their Encouraging Inclusion course is not autism or any diagnosis specific. Instead it offers a range of tools for assessing how you can make your learning spaces more inclusive. This is Adi explaining the WeCanAccess mission

5. Open University: Understanding Autism

Learn about autism a part of human diversity to others. This free course, “Understanding autism”, introduces the autism spectrum, how it is experienced by different people and families. The course is CPD accredited and takes about 24 hours of learning to complete.

Summing up our free Autism Courses For Teaching Assistants Article.

We hope you find a free autism course for your needs whether you are a teacher or a teaching assistant. I truly rate each of these free online sen courses for teaching assistants, and each one will provide a different viewpoint and style of delivery. It is important to explore the various options available to ensure that you find the course that best suits your requirements.