ABSTRACT
Kingdom, with schools closing for training days so that teachers can develop
skills and knowledge in areas of interest. Similarly, this approach to learning
through group workshops and training sessions is fairly common for parents of
children with ASD. The National Autistic Society’s EarlyBird programme draws
together groups of parents for eight sessions with licensed EarlyBird trainers,
and the two-day Advanced Portage Training in complex communication
difficulties is open to, and commonly attended by, parents, as are many courses
run throughout the country. Discussions with those who like to learn in this more
formal way commonly highlight, first, the benefits of learning alongside others
who have similar, yet different, experiences of being with children with autism,
and, second, the advantages of being able to set aside some time to focus on
the new learning, rather than feeling that everything has to be gathered at pace,
fragmented and squeezed by the other demands that arise in a typical day.
