Further Professional Learning

This section of the Toolbox has collated a range of professional learning opportunities which, where possible are freely available and set with in the Scottish context. Where a cost is incurred the Toolbox are not highlighting the courses in any order of preference or favour. If considering applying for a course which requires funding it is the responsibility of individual practitioners to discuss this with their managers and local authority.

Playboxes Method Professional Learning
Introduction to the Playboxes Method Online Professional Learning Materials
Transcript (click here)

We are delighted to share with you the Playboxes Professional Learning materials, which are now free to access online.

Playboxes is a targeted approach to developing joint attention through play, devised by a team of professionals from Education, Speech and language therapy and Educational Psychology in City of Edinburgh.  The approach is based on the work around the Joint Play Intersubjectivity Assessment Method (JPIAM), of the late Helen Marwick, Developmental Psychologist from the University of Strathclyde.  

The team has worked with the National Autism Implementation Team (or NAIT), to produce a pack of implementation guidance, as well as a professional learning film with Education Scotland which is housed on the Autism Toolbox. Linked to this is an Education Scotland Professional Learning Activity which supports learning and  reflection.

Originally developed for use with autistic children, the Playboxes approach is now been shown to be beneficial for a wider range of children with the aim of developing joint attention. The aims of the professional learning materials are to:

  • better understand the development of play and joint attention in children and young people 
  • better understand how to support children’s active engagement and participation in early learning and childhood and school settings 
  • know how to implement the Playboxes method in practice 

The Professional Learning materials will be of most relevance to practitioners intending to take forward use of the Playboxes approach in their setting, but may also be of interest to those in roles of leadership in education settings ranging from ELC settings to Primary and Secondary settings as well as specialist education provisions and local authority leads.

Playboxes (also known as the Joint Play Intersubjectivity Assessment Method) is an approach to support play developed by the late Helen Marwick, from the University of Strathclyde. It is relevant for children with a range of Additional Support Needs and applies a neuro-affirming lens.   Playboxes offers opportunities for early play experiences by providing an enthusiastic play partner, a dedicated place and time, and engaging resources designed to interest the child.  It is motivating and it is fun. 

The online training is relevant to practitioners working across all sectors in education, with particular relevance to those working in specialist education provision settings. It may also be of interest to those in roles of leadership in all education settings and local authority leads, who are interested in introducing the Playboxes approach across their context.

The Playboxes team, consisting of teachers and Educational Psychology from the City of Edinburgh, and Speech and language therapy from NHS Lothian, has collaborated with Education Scotland and the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) to produce:

  • An online training film for practitioners (see below)
  • An implementation guidance pack
  • An Education Scotland Professional Learning Activity to support reflection

Links to these materials can all be accessed below the training film.

You can view the training film here:

Transcript (click here)

Welcome to our Playboxes professional learning. We are delighted to share this exciting approach with colleagues working in and with schools and early learning settings across Scotland.

My name is Nicola and I am joined by my colleagues Karena and Caitlin. Together we are the Playboxes Team.

This is our intellectual property statement.

And you can contact the team at our shared email inbox – autisminfo@ea.edin.sch.uk

Our multi-disciplinary team includes professionals from Teaching, Educational Psychology and Speech Therapy.

Previous team members, who we thank for their invaluable contributions over the years, are Hilary Cowie, Rachel Cockayne and Lorna Johnston.

Lorna, together with her colleagues in the National Autism Implementation Team, has created guidance to support practitioners to implement Playboxes in practice. A link to this guidance is shared at end of this presentation.

Dr Helen Marwick Developmental Psychologist from the University of Strathclyde, developed the Joint Play Intersubjectivity Assessment Method, the JPIAM. 

Under Helen’s guidance we reframed the method as Playboxes and developed professional learning and implementation support materials. Over a thousand practitioners from education and health have attended Playboxes training and have used the method within their practice.

Sadly Helen died in 2021. Her spirit and passion lives on through the Playboxes Team and in guiding this work.

We will start by sharing our learning intentions for the session and looking at the Scottish Policy context.

It is helpful to consider the theoretical underpinnings of this method before looking at how to put it into practice.

First, we’ll talk about the development of play and joint attention. Then we’ll discuss how the Playboxes approach supports this development.

The final section of the session will focus on how to use Playboxes in practice and will include some film of children and adults playing together.

By the end of this session we hope you will:

better understand the development of play and joint attention

better understand how to support children’s active engagement and participation in early learning and school settings

know how to implement the Playboxes method in your practice

A range of legislation and policy in Scotland emphasize the importance of play in the lives of children.

Curriculum for Excellence gives prominence to play, particularly across the early level and the transition between early learning and childcare and primary school.

The Early Years Framework prioritises ‘improving outcomes and children’s quality of life through play.’

And the Play Strategy for Scotland states that play should be valued, encouraged and supported.

 Play is a fundamental part of children’s quality of life and a right enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Effective use of the Playboxes method is underpinned by an understanding of the development of play and joint attention.

Play is often thought of as children’s work and anyone observing children absorbed in play can see how hard they work.

So what is play?

We all play. Even as adults we ‘play’. Play is what we choose to do. Play is motivating. It is fun! It brings enjoyment. 

Play provides an opportunity for children to learn about the world around them. It provides a safe environment to explore and investigate. 

Research links play (with both objects and people) to advances in cognitive, social, communicative, linguistic and emotional development.

In a neurodiverse world play can take many forms. Play can be whatever is meaningful and pleasurable to a child or young person.

Play can be with other people, alongside other people or on your own. All are important. Lots of valuable play and exploration can happen without other people.

The children and young people we work with will have a range of preferences for what they wish to play with, including conventional toys and other objects, and how they like to use these. Within safe parameters, Playboxes provides a safe and supported space for children to explore their preferences and to discover what is enjoyable to them.

When we refer to ‘toys’ within this session, this term includes safe objects that a child finds interesting and motivating within the play context.

The best games initially might be ‘forbidden fun’, for example emptying the tins from the kitchen cupboard or pulling out all the books from a shelf. What children learn about the world from this play is often later observed in their broader play, as they replicate these actions.

The communication pyramid provides a visual model of the elements of communication, which develop alongside play. Communication experiences can help children enjoy play and play experiences can help children enjoy communication.

They might imitate making a cup of tea, rolling a toy fire engine, maybe even copying the siren noises. 

Typically, in early interactions with familiar adults, babies and young children begin to learn to share attention. They develop a desire to interact and seek opportunities to do so. 

As young children begin to pay more attention to the world around them, they notice more of what is happening within the environment. Enjoying play helps children to listen and to pay attention to sounds, people and things around them.

There are different types of attention. We attend to environmental stimuli, for example, an alarm might make us alert. We also attend to tasks, just as you are paying attention this information right now. Even if your mind drifts off to thinking about something you need to do later today, you can bring your attention back to the current activity.

Another type of attention is social attention or attention to other people. This builds from very early interactions.

Through play children can enjoy experiences which help them to understand sounds, words, sentences, intentions and actions of other people. And as comprehension develops, children start to make more connections and become more able to make connections and build on what they and others do in play.

Play provides opportunities to develop expressive communication and speech sounds and as children develop their abilities to express more complex ideas, their play can become more elaborate.

Good foundations in early interaction, attention and listening and play allow children to progress in their overall communication development. 

In typical development, tiny babies tune in to the eyes and face of their care giver. This leads to the magic of a first smile between 6 and 8 weeks, which leads to enjoyment in sharing of smiles. There are no words shared, yet this could be described as one of the first ever back and forth communications. 

This develops into enjoyment in social play and interaction with the care giver, leading to the establishment of joint attention by around 10 months. At this age, babies might even follow your eye gaze to see what you are looking at. 

All of this leads to interest in another person, and excitement in being with and interacting with others. 

We might start to see early pretend play emerging; the acting out of daily routines. 

Followed by the emergent understanding that people have different thoughts, feelings, likes and dislikes, leading to the understanding that other people think differently to the child. 

What is joint attention?

Joint attention can be described as a ‘triangle of communication’. It involves two people and an object. It is the ability to flexibly move attention between another person and an object.

For example, if a child saw a plane in the sky, it would be the ability to look at the plane (and perhaps even point to it), look back to the adult to check that they can see it too, then look back to the plane.

This  starts with the child following an adult’s point to items the child is interested in. 

Joint attention is a precursor to developing an understanding that others have feelings, thoughts and beliefs that may be different from yours. This ability to see things from someone’s else’s point of view is how we predict what someone’s thoughts and actions might be. 

It’s this skill that we use, as adults, to share information with each other, often without even saying a word. For example, when with a close friend or a colleague, you might have a fair idea of what they are thinking during a conversation with others, just by catching their eye.  

There are many ways to describe the progression of play in children and young people. In this session we are going to use terminology from the Joint Play Intersubjectivity Assessment Method.

Firstly, Expressive-Attentive Joint Play. This includes early sensory experiences, exploratory play and cause and-effect play.

It is exciting, lively and often physical. Expressive-Attentive Joint Play encourages anticipation within play patterns. The child shares attention as they wait for something thrilling to happen, such as letting go of a balloon, blowing bubbles or blowing a tooter. 

Often children first learn to share attention in play without toys. This might be through action rhymes, songs or in physical play that includes their sensory interests. 

Expressive-Attentive Joint Play establishes trust and rapport and can be hugely motivating.

In times of stress, or during transitions, the simplicity of expressive-attentive play can be predictable, reassuring and inviting, making it easier to engage in. Such play can be fun at any age! 

In Joint Goal Directed Play, children tend to share attention through functional play, using toys and objects in the way that they are designed to be used.

In this type of play, there is a shared objective, naturally promoting cooperation and turn taking. 

In Joint Imaginative Play, children are beginning to play symbolically – using an object to represent something different. For example, they might use a brick as a phone. They might begin to animate characters in small world play, and may also start to take on roles, for example, pretending to be a nurse, or a shop keeper. 

Joint imaginative play can include play with a Representational Other. This might be a teddy, doll, puppet or other character that can take on a role within the play. For example it might put a brick on a tower, take a turn in a fishing game, express excitement or disappointment or offer suggestions within a play scenario.

Playboxes was originally developed to support autistic learners in relation to joint attention and joint play. It has since been shown that it has wider scope and could provide an opportunity to support engagement and participation for a range of children.

Playboxes offers opportunities for early play experiences by providing an enthusiastic play partner, a dedicated place and time and engaging resources designed to interest the child.

It is motivating and it is fun.

Within Playboxes sessions the adult follows the child’s interest and joins in their play in a playful and non directive manner.

As the name suggests, Playboxes requires two boxes – one for the child and one for the adult play partner. The child’s box should be decorated with pictures and perhaps appealing textures and objects that are likely to interest and entice the particular child. A photograph or image of the child or the child’s name should be placed on the box lid. Boxes should not be used for more than one child, although some clever, space saving practitioners have reused boxes by making the decoration in ways that they can easily be swapped around. 

The decoration has been shown to capture the child’s interest at the start of the session and to entice them into engaging with both the box and it’s contents. For this reason the adult should not involve the child in this preparation but should introduce the child to the box for the first time at the start of the first play session. 

The adult should create a matching box for themselves, with a photograph or drawing of themselves on the lid. The decoration of this is less specific so it could be re used with a number of children.

Each box is filled with a set of toys, either matching, e.g., a toy car in each, or complementary, e.g., skittles in one and balls in the other. All resources are carefully matched to the developmental stage of the child.

So, why, in the busy context of Early Learning and Childcare and Schools, would we prioritise one to one play with an individual child?

And why, at a time when we are all moving away from thinking about taking children out of the room to ‘fix’ or ‘teach skills’, thinking instead about making adaptations to the ‘naturally occurring environments’ of education settings, would we take a child out to a separate space to play?

Well, for many children, the fact that these contexts are so busy means that the sensory and social aspects can be overwhelming and they might find it difficult to focus their attention on an activity for any length of time. You will all be aware of children who ‘flit’ around the room, seemingly unable to settle on an activity.

There are many reasons why a child might have had limited opportunities to develop joint attention and to actively engage in play. These may relate to attention, communication, sensory responses, how well matched activities are to their developmental level and early childhood experiences, amongst other factors.

Playboxes offers an opportunity to look closely at how a child chooses to play and what is attractive and appealing to them. It allows a safe context to explore play without distraction or interruption.

The adult partner comes to the play without agenda, targets or goals, allowing the play and communication to develop in whichever way works for the child.

Together with Dr Marwick, the Playboxes Team engaged in two research projects measuring the impact of the Playboxes approach.

Both were small scale studies undertaken with children aged between 5 and 8 years.

All participants had an autism diagnosis

Playboxes was delivered over 10 weeks with positive results

The first study looked at development in each child’s play.

The Test of Pretend Play measures a child’s engagement with toys, looking at whether a child uses toys functionally, symbolically and imaginatively.

It provides a level, in months, for a child’s play. This scale is based on typical development and is used here to capture change rather than to reflect expectations related to a child’s age.

This graph demonstrates that all seven children within this study demonstrated gains in their play development.

3 of the children made significant gains of up to 30 months following a ten-week intervention. The full results can be read in the published paper – the reference for this is shared at the end of the presentation.

A linked research study looked at developments in expressive language for three of the children.

Children were assessed before and after a block of ten Playboxes sessions, using formal language assessment.

This graph shows that all of the children demonstrated the ability to provide more information relating to a series of picture cards after they had engaged with Playboxes. 

The children also used more sophisticated grammatical markers accurately following the Playboxes sessions. 

The play sessions were recorded and each child’s expressive language use within play sessions was analysed.

All three children in the language study made gains in their use of pronouns such as I, you, he, she, they across the play sessions.

This could suggest increased interest in, and engagement with, the toys and adult play partner.

All of the children made substantial increases in expressive language use and used more complex grammatical structures within the later play sessions.

It is possible that the language ability and level of skill was always present for these children but that they were not, prior to the intervention, motivated to communicate. This supports the idea that the individualised, responsive situation, created by the Playboxes method can provide the ideal environment for a child to increase their language.

We are now going to look at how to implement Playboxes in practice.

The JPIAM was originally developed for autistic children from pre-school to eight years.

Over the last ten years we have had reports of positive outcomes from Playboxes for children 3-15 years, and with a range of additional support needs. With carefully chosen toys, matched to the child’s developmental level, the method can be used with Social, Language and Conversation Partners.

If the team around a child identify that a child has had limited opportunities to engage in play or might benefit from an uninterrupted opportunity to explore toys with a trusted adult partner, then Playboxes could be a good support to use.

As national guidance document ‘Realising the Ambition: Being Me’ tells us:

“We will always be doing the right thing if we are aware of each child’s development and are providing interactions and opportunities that match the needs of the child.”

Playboxes can be implemented by any member of the team around the child. We are aware of it having been used by teachers, support assistants, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists and Third Sector partners. Before beginning Playboxes sessions, any adult play partner should first complete this training so that they have a clear understanding of not just what to do, but how and why they are doing it.

It is essential that the adult play partner is consistent throughout the sessions. Building trust and a positive relationship takes time and together the adult and child will build shared memories of the play sessions that they bring to future sessions. A child may have used an object in a particular way in one session and have an expectation that this will be repeated in future sessions, e.g. a blue cloth may be a ‘pond’ for ducks or a representational other may have been given a name and personality traits.

Rather than provide a substitute for when the adult is unavailable, it is better that the session does not take place.

The adult play partner should aim to make the sessions as desirable as possible.​

Space can be at a premium in many settings so the team may need to be creative. Playboxes has been carried out in side rooms, empty classrooms, management offices, libraries and many other nooks and crannies. Whatever space is identified, it needs to be consistent, and have few distractions as possible, for example, IT equipment could be covered over.

Other people using the space or popping in and out is likely to present a barrier to the uninterrupted joint attention you are seeking to create.

Where accessibility considerations allow, the play should take place on the floor. Ideally the space should not be too large as that can make it difficult for some children to remain focused on joint play.

In order to retain the motivation and energy of both the adult and the child, Playboxes sessions are held just once a week. This frames Playboxes as a ‘special time’ and allows the child to experience anticipation. It also provides time for the adult play partner to reflect on the play and to identify and source any new toys that might interest the child and extend existing play.

Predictability is key. Wherever possible, sessions should happen on the same day and at the same time. Unavoidable changes should be communicated through a child’s visual timetable where one is in place.

The length of each session is usually 30 to 40 minutes, but could be shorter, depending on the child and how they are on the day. If a child is indicating that they do not wish to be at the session, it is important to respond to that communication.

It is not uncommon for practitioners to note that there is little engagement or joint play for the first 3 or 4 weeks. As trust and shared memories build and the adult provides motivating experiences, engagement in joint play tends to develop beyond this point. We know of a child whose play was initially very sensory as he rubbed toy toast on his cheeks, who enjoyed the introduction of a popping toaster and within a few weeks was feeding his play partner.

Research and practice experience suggest that ten sessions is optimal and more can be added if considered desirable.

To begin Playboxes we need

an adult and a child box, each with a photo or picture on the lid

approximately three items from each play category. This ratio can be adapted to match the child’s developmental stage, for example you might wish to have more Expressive-Attentive toys for early developmental stages – Social Partners- and more Imaginative Play toys for children at a later stage of development – Conversation Partners

a ‘representational other’ for example, a puppet, teddy, doll or toy animal

And we would always have a cloth in each box. This can be used for a range of purposes from Peekaboo to creating an island for small world characters to picnic on.

Having two boxes containing matched or complementary toys prevents the adult play partner from trying to take a toy from a child to model how it might be used – “My turn!”.

Instead they can take out their own matching toy and imitate the child’s actions or model suggested actions, e.g. copying the child spinning an upside down spinner before turning it upright and pressing it to the floor to make it spin.

The child’s box belongs to them and the adult should be wary of going into this and of using these toys.

The adult’s box can be freely accessed by both play partners.

The following clips show interactions between different children and their play partners involving bubbles and tooters. We also see some people play using cloths for a game of Peekaboo.

We are now going to talk through a Playboxes session from planning to reflection.

Before the session begins, place the two boxes on the floor of your chosen room. Then collect the child and bring them into the room.

Wait…allow the child time to take in the room and the boxes. You might draw the child’s attention to the decoration on the boxes – this should reflect their interests.

Allow the child time to explore the box. You may wish to lift a corner and peek in or take the lid completely off the adult box. You could then look in and make some enthusiastic noises. You might then gently encourage the child to open their box.

In this next clip we’ll see a boy quietly enter the room for his Playboxes session and observe the sides of his box before opening it and beginning to explore his box, then the adult’s.

Next, we’ll watch a girl being directed to her box through adult encouragement and signing. When she discovers the ball in her own box, the adult finds the matching item in her box and the two share a lovely interaction.

During the Playboxes session the adult will try to engage the child in the three types of play

Expressive- attentive

Joint goal directed

And Imaginative

Playboxes is neither solely child led nor adult led, it moves flexibly between the two.

We aim to start with the child’s interests and often imitation of the child’s actions is a way to capture their attention and begin to join them in play.

Within the play, the adult play partner might seek to surprise, amuse or intrigue the child.

They might offer suggestions, through modelling or spoken word.

In later sessions they might recall shared memories, suggesting things they have done before or perhaps laughing together about a funny thing that happened, e.g. “Remember when tiger got a fright?”

Throughout the play the adult is tuning in to the child and, where possible, picking up on their ideas and feelings and responding to them.

Importantly, the adult must leave their everyday role at the door. They should not try to insert broader learning goals into the session for example, ‘floating and sinking’ or this week’s literacy sound, and everyday class management tools should not be evident in the session. Any unexpected responses should be managed through the play, for example, “That made teddy feel sad. How can we make him feel happy?”

Playboxes sessions should always feel like fun and when the fun fading, the session should be brought to a careful and sensitive end, for example by saying, “One more minute then Playboxes is finished.”

Within expressive-attentive play the adult will be trying to…

Join the child in play by bringing their own toy into interaction

Imitate the child’s actions and sounds

Model alternative actions and sounds

Invite and offer comparisons – “My one is red!”

Provoke searches for identical or complementary pieces – “Have you got one too?”

There are a wide variety of toys which allow opportunities for Joint Goal Directed Play. Many can be split into complementary sets providing an opportunity to search for items that go together, for example, an inset puzzle and puzzle pieces or a fish and fishing rods.

In addition to the earlier strategies, at this stage the adult play partner might…

Instigate turn-taking – “You first?”

Negotiate transfers – “Do you want to try mine?”

And enable shared focus, for example by working together on a task such as building a tower or completing a puzzle

The clip you’re about to see first shows a young boy and his play partner building a marble run together and then taking turns to play with it.

Next we’ll see 2 children playing with skittles. The first has been posting items with her adult partner but then the nearby skittles become drumsticks and they bang together on the postbox. The second engages in playing a knocking down game but then they use skittles as food items.

In addition to the strategies from the previous two stages, at this stage the adult can…

Share pretend play – for example, food play, role play, small world play

Model interactions between representational toys, for example, teddy feeding dolly

Offer imaginative scenarios and narratives

Involve representational toys in interactions, attributing feelings and purposes to the toys in relation to child and adult, for example, “Tiger is excited because it’s his turn next.”

And demonstrate awareness of another’s perspective in supported joint imaginary play

One example of this is a ‘before words’ child whose favourite part of the play was a crocodile puppet eating the bubbles. The adult realised that they had no bubble mixture in the box so said, “Crocodile is sad, there are no bubbles”.

The child then spoke, saying, “Don’t cry crocodile, I will help you.”

This is an exciting example of how a child was motivated to speak in the safe environment of Playboxes.

In this next clip, the first child you’ll see enjoys music and singing. Here, alongside her play partner, she sings, ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ and uses little figures to carry out different actions.

Next you’ll see some clips showing food related imaginative play including a hand puppet being fed balls from a game, handbells becoming ice-cream cones and baking in an imaginary kiln just out of shot.

To avoid disrupted expectations, it is important to make the start and finish of Playboxes sessions predictable for the child. You might use a timer, signing or verbal cue to indicate that the session is coming to an end. For many children, knowing what is next will be helpful.

At the end of the session encourage the child to help to pack the boxes up but do not insist.

For Language and Conversation partners, tell them that you will return to play again next week and, where relevant, inform them that some toys will be the same and some will be different. If a toy has been upsetting for a child, reassure them that it will not be back next week.

The next clip shows a session ending. The adult gives a verbal warning for last turns and uses both words and sign to indicate the session is finished.

Following each session you should:

Reflect on what went well and what didn’t go quite so well.

Note what changes or progress you observed.

Fill in your record sheet as soon as possible after your session – this will be a helpful record of progress at the end of the ten sessions

Review and select your toys for the next session.

Prepare the boxes.

Whilst Playboxes is being carried out, the toys in the boxes should be ‘special’ and only available to the child during Playboxes sessions. It can be helpful however to include similar toys in the child’s everyday environments of home and school so that they have the opportunity to engage with them at other times and perhaps with other play partners.

At the end of the block of sessions, another adult should not ‘swap in’ but could offer sessions with same child following a break of a few weeks. This should be with different box decoration and toys as the existing ones will likely have specific associations for the child.

Implementation guidance can be found on the NAIT website. This includes:

An introduction to Playboxes

Key Messages for Implementation

How Playboxes fits with CIRCLE and SCERTS

Playboxes Record Sheet

Lists of suggested toys by play stage

Practitioner checklist

Frequently Asked Questions

References and suggested reading

In summary, the key messages from this training are:

Decorate two boxes – child’s box specific to their interests

Choose toys to match child’s interests and developmental stage

Remember the three stages of play

Remember some matching, some complementary

Same adult each week

Have fun!

We end with a final word from our retired Playboxes Colleague Hilary Cowie, who enjoyed Playboxes sessions with dozens of children.

Precious, unforgettable, humbling memories of going to collect children for Playboxes sessions; whatever the setting, be it community health centre, nursery, Child and Family Centre, mainstream school or special school, as soon as the child saw me, they would stand up and rush to meet me at the door: this was the Power of Playboxes!

Thank you for engaging with this training. We hope that you will enjoy using Playboxes as much as we have!

Should you have any questions, our contact details are on the slide.

Further information and resources

National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) Playboxes Implementation Guidance:

https://www.thirdspace.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NAIT-Playboxes-Implementation-Guidance-2024.pdf

Search for the Edcuation Scotland Professional Learning Activity (PLA) ‘The Playboxes Method: A Focussed Time to Play’ here

Playboxes record sheet:

https://www.thirdspace.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NAIT-Playboxes-Record-Sheet-Fillable-Form-2024.pdf

Free Professional Learning

Local Professional Learning Opportunities 

Local education authorities often work with their NHS colleagues and third sector partners to provide a range of Autism Training which can be freely available for their employees and families living in the local authority. 

‘Introduction to Autism and Inclusive Education’.

An online professional learning module is available on the Education Scotland learning platform within the Open University Open Learn Create website. This module is set within the Scottish context to support practitioners, establishments and local authorities in Scotland.  Upon completion participants will achieve an Open University digital badge and free statement of participation: OLCreate: Intro to Autism Introduction to Autism and Inclusive Practice (open.edu)

Leading on Autism and Inclusive Practice

Education Scotland has created a series of group learning materials which can be used to complement group learning and discussion when working through Education Scotland’s module  Intro to Autism Introduction to Autism and Inclusive Practice (open.edu). The group learning materials and information about how they were developed can be found here: Leading on Autism and Inclusive Practice | Resources | Education Scotland

Open University

Open University – ‘Understanding Autism online’ – 24hrs. Upon completion participants will achieve an Open University digital badge and free statement of participation.

GTCS Professional Recognition in Autism and Inclusion

The Standard for Career-Long Professional Learning and the criteria for the award of ‘Professional Recognition’ align to the features of SCQF Level 11 enquiry as outlined in the Scottish Framework for Masters in Education.

There are many areas in which registered teachers/lecturers in all sectors can gain Professional Recognition and Autism and or inclusive practice are areas you may wish to consider. 

There are two ways to gain Professional Recognition

  1. Make an individual application for recognition in a particular area of Autism/ Inclusion 
  2. Complete a professional learning programme which has been accredited with Professional Recognition by GTC Scotland. Check with your local authority to see if they are running a programme. 

Further information on Professional Recognition can be found on the GTCS website.

AAC Communication

A series of short modules about AAC are available on the AAC Scotland website

A Right to speak; Supporting Individuals who use augmentative and alternative Communication 

Accredited Professional Learning – Funding required
Course NameAward LevelProvider/EstablishStudy Mode and DurationWebsite/Contact Details
AutismMEdStrathclyde UniversityP/T & distance learning 36 monthshttps://bit.ly/2kWSZEB 
Collaborative Working: 
Education and Therapy
PG CertQueen Margaret UniversityFully online (distance) or blended learning (online and weekend/evening classroom learning).
2 years.
https://www.qmu.ac.uk/study-here/postgraduate-study/2019-postgraduate-courses/pgcert-collaborative-working-education-and-therapy
AAC AssessmentManchester Metropolitan UniversityContact university for further information.https://aacmanmet.wordpress.com/