Autism Education Trust (AET), a not-for-profit organisation offering autism education training and resources for education professionals, has updated its Autism Standards and Competency Framework.
The update is the biggest in its 14-year history and comes in response to the Government’s new Autism Strategy for England.
The new Competency Framework sets out the knowledge and skills needed by professionals who work with autistic children and young people in educational settings. They can be used across all types of settings, from mainstream to specialist, and are designed to address the needs of autistic children and young people who may need extra support.
The frameworks are presented as a self-evaluation tool that practitioners can use to rate their current practice and understanding against a set of descriptors.
The AET’s entire Early Years and Schools Professional Development Programme and all the related resources and materials have been revised. The materials were developed in collaboration with autistic young people, parents of autistic children, academics, researchers and education professionals and are up to date with the latest research and current understanding of autism.
Liam Dowling, Head Teacher at Hinderton School, said the new Competency Framework is a “very comprehensive, well thought out document” which “allows schools to measure progress in a meaningful way.”
Alongside the updated materials, the AET have also launched a new logo and website which now offers a fully accessible browsing experience.
Sarah Broadhurst, director of the Autism Education Trust, said the new logo “better reflects our organisation, the partnership of our stakeholders and, ultimately, the autistic children and young people at the heart of everything we do.”
Both framework documents can be downloaded free of charge here.
