In a collaboration to help strengthen, support and deliver professional development opportunities for NSW early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals, Autism Awareness Australia (AAA) and the ECEC Professional Learning program have launched a short online, fee-free microskill course designed to give NSW early childhood professionals the tools they need to better support autistic children in their service.
The microskill, Autism Awareness for Early Childhood Professionals, which can be completed in as little as two hours, is delivered as part of the Early Childhood Education and Care Professional Learning Program, a partnership between the NSW Department of Education and TAFE NSW. Through the program ECEC professionals will have the opportunity to strengthen their knowledge, uplift their skills and grow their careers with access to fee-free*, targeted online professional learning and leadership development programs.
AAA CEO, Nicole Rogerson said, "the short, online course delivers high-impact, digestible learning designed to lift the quality of inclusive practice across the sector, reduce burnout, and help tackle Australia's deepening skills shortage in ECEC."
"This isn't just another box-ticking training module," Ms Rogerson said. "Autism Awareness for Early Childhood Professionals challenges autism myths, builds confidence, and gets to the heart of what inclusive education looks like for our youngest learners.
"When educators can respond with empathy and understanding, they change lives, and they're far less likely to burn out while doing it."
The course includes five concise, interactive modules, and equips ECEC professionals to:
- Recognise early signs of autism in babies, toddlers and preschoolers
- Understand how autism can present differently in boys and girls
- Dispel common myths that continue to harm practice and children alike
- Learn practical strategies to support children's sensory, emotional and communication needs, and
- Access
