Autism in the Early Years Sector

Course Details

Topics Covered Include:

Unit One: What is Autism?

• Understanding autism as a spectrum and a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference.
• Understanding autistic experience, including communication differences, sensory processing, social interaction, and executive function.
• The importance of language: identity-first language, the neurodiversity approach, and why the words we use matter.
• Understanding autistic experiences in education — featuring a podcast exploring inclusive practice in Irish schools.
• Statistical review of autism diagnosis in Ireland, including prevalence, gender imbalances in identification, and what the data means for inclusive practice.

Unit Two: Challenging Ableism and Centring Autistic Voice

• Centring autistic voices as essential to inclusive practice.
• Research on autistic experiences in education, including the lived experience of autistic teachers.
• The paradigm shift from the medical model to the social model of disability.
• History of autism and the shift from deficit-based to rights-based and neuro-affirming frameworks.
• Key Irish legislation: the Education Act 1998, National Disability Authority Act 1999, Education (Welfare) Act 2000, EPSEN Act 2004 (including its incomplete implementation), Disability Act 2005, Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016, and the National Disability Inclusion Strategy.
• Education policies for people with disabilities, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM).

Unit Three: Creating Safe, Supportive Environments

• Creating safe and predictable environments using the NCSE Relate Programme principles.
• Environmental strategies: classroom zoning, visual supports, total communication approaches, sensory audits, and quiet spaces.
• Understanding regulation, co-regulation, and self-regulation.
• The regulation-first approach: prioritising safety and connection before learning demands.
• Low-demand environments and understanding that regulation is individual — not the same as sitting still.

Unit Four: Understanding Sensory Processing, Communication, and Transitions

• Understanding sensory systems: visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, proprioceptive, vestibular, and interoceptive.
• Supporting sensory needs in educational environments, including sensory rooms and whole-school approaches.
• Communication as a fundamental right: total communication, rights-based practice, and supporting all forms of communication.
• Understanding and supporting Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
• Supporting transitions using visual schedules, objects of reference, and transitional objects.

Unit Five: Síolta, Aistear, and the Access and Inclusion Model

• Síolta: Ireland’s National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and its role in supporting inclusive environments.
• Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework and how it supports inclusion for children aged 0–6.
• The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM): universal and targeted supports for children with additional needs in ECCE settings.

Entry Requirements / Prerequisites:

• Level 4 Certificate or equivalent qualifications and/or relevant life and work experiences.
• As this programme is delivered through distance learning or eLearning, students must be capable of studying on their own initiative.
• If you take this course by eLearning you will need basic IT skills and have access to broadband.

Assessment:

There is no formal written assessment on this CPD course. Knowledge checks and reflection activities are embedded within each unit to support active learning and self-assessment throughout.