AUTISM AND ANXIETY – Module 5

Welcome to the NCAMH course on Autism and Anxiety

• This two-day online training course introduces you to a “model for understanding & supporting autistic people who experience Anxiety and Trauma.”
• You will acquire essential knowledge, tools and skills for spotting the signs of anxiety and trauma and for providing tailored support.

We have some wonderful resources and tools for you in this course including: an autism and anxiety spotting the signs tool, autism and social anxiety spotting the signs tool and autism and traumatic events spotting the signs tool, screening tools, psychoeducation tools, resource packs, activities and supporting worksheets. 

You can use these resources with your clients to support earlier detection of those micro-stressors and events that may be contributing to the build-up of anxiety and to support autistic people with increasing their self-awareness alongside introducing strategies for safety planning, self-advocacy, self-soothing/calming and anxiety reduction.

We are joined in this module by Jacqui Rogers, Previous Professor of Psychology and Mental Health, based in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University, UK.  Her work focuses on understanding mental health conditions experienced by autistic people.  She has a particular interest in anxiety and suicide.

We are also joined by Dr Amy Pearon (professor of neurodiversity and psychology at Durham University) and Kieran Rose, autistic advocate and researchers and co authors of Autistic Masking.  Amy and Kieran talk to us about the connections between masking and trauma.

In Lesson 3 we are joined by Mark, an autistic man who talks to us about his experience of social anxiety and how a late diagnosis helped to increase his awareness of his own differences and preferences when it came to being in a range of environments and with other people.  And in Lesson 6 Rob, an autistic man shares with us his experience of using the Wise Mind Resources, and how the grounding strategies supported him in his job, particularly when managing other people’s expectations and communication differences.

By the end of Module 5 you will:

• Understand current prevalence rates of anxiety amongst autistic people and the different types of anxiety they may experience
• Understand how autistic people experience anxiety based on autistic voices and lived experiences.
• Have reviewed the current research, evidence base and literature on autism, anxiety and trauma
• Understand the neurobiology of anxiety and trauma amongst autistic people
• Be introduced to a model of anxiety when supporting autistic people and related tools for supporting increased self-awareness, screening and assessment
• Be introduced to a model of social anxiety in autism and related tools for supporting increased self-awareness, screening and assessment
• Be introduced to a model for framing traumatic experiences amongst autistic people
• Considered the relevance of these models in relation to your own practice
• Have practiced using dialectical, mindful, sensory, creative and trauma informed approaches for supporting self-soothing and anxiety reduction
• Have the ability to use the social anxiety micro-stressor tool and general micro-stressor tool as models for understanding and validating the autistic person’s lived experience and as a baseline for informing what support strategies may be most helpful
• Have access to tools, resources and strategies that support autistic people with increasing felt safety, advocacy and a reduction in anxiety and traumatic experiences
• The ability to use the Safety Resource Pack, 5 Strategies for Calming and Self-Soothing and the Wise Mind Resource Pack when supporting autistic people

There are six lessons in Module 5 with a mixture of tutor-led sessions, podcasts, additional video clips, articles, worksheets/exercises, review of resources and completion of reflective practice worksheets.

You will be able to access the course handouts, workbooks and reflective practice worksheets from the welcome and introduction page.  You can access any worksheets, tools and resources from within the Lesson on the learning management platform.

I wish you well with the course.

Warmest wishes,

Jenny Phaure

Clinical Director

MA (Child and Ad Psych, UKCP), MSc

National Centre for Autism and Mental Health

www.ncamh.co.uk

Phone: 07545 190915