Good practices

AuTrain

The AuTrain project aimedto improve the situation of people with ASD.

To this end, the project team collectedcomprehensive material on autism, its forms and characteristics in order to raise awareness of people with ASD.

For this purpose, an online platform wasdeveloped which contains information about ASD. In addition, the platform containsall the necessary teaching and training measures that are necessary for the further education course “Autism Officer / Autism Officer”.

This extended training is the main result of AuTrain.

The AuTrain platform itself is the project´s main innovation. It is the first open online-resource that can be used for several purposes and that will work as a European framework for information and courses related to the active social inclusion of autistic people in daily life.

Year(s): 2019 - 2021

Target group(s): universities and educational institutions that bring experience of people with ASD; on-experts in ASD who are dealing with people with ASD in public administration or education

Website or other online channels: https://www.autrain.eu/

Methodology

The project started with a desk research to create a sound basis for all further steps and content in the AuTrain project. The State of the Art Report summarizes a comprehensive analysis of the current starting situations in the different partner countries, as well as a possible need for further steps and offers in the field of the realities of life of people who work or have contact with people affected by autism spectrum disorders in their daily lives.

The results of this report also supported the development of the curricula for the training, as the second result of the project. It consists of a multitude of applied knowledge and hands-on activities building on one another. In contrast to other existing material in autism training that largely focuses on the education of clinical or special education experts, it will seek to achieve basic but meaningful

training of lay people and paraprofessionals conveying a holistic approach of how to interact appropriately with people with autism.

Then participants had access to a platform that can establish itself as a European source and a common central junction for the theoretical and practical work in the field of autism and social inclusion of autistic people.

Type of product

Online resource Course / Training

Brief description of the outcomes

AuTrain project brought innovation with the development of a platform that was the first open online-resource for information and courses related to the active social inclusion of autistic people in daily life. It combines a curriculum for a training course – “Autism officer”, teaching and training material combining different didactical settings, different media, the advantages of blended learning and the contents that can be taught in courses for all professions, and a training handbook with a general part on autism and a specific part with different exercises, learning boxes, advices and further detailed information.

Impact on target groups / Transferability potential

The first result of the project allows any person to consult the Stateof-the-Art Report, a comprehensive written scientific document which is based on all preparatory analyses and is completed with many intensive further desk research and quantitative as well as qualitative analyses

With this project, participants were allowed to be connected in an innovative platform (Autrain platform), which has several purposes: First, for general information on autism, its forms and characteristics and how to deal with autistic people in daily life situations. Second, for implementing a training course that will fit to modern standards in vocational education and training in a blended learning settings.

The training course allowed to enhance knowledge, experience, reflection and competences in ASD from a human, positive, ecological and inclusive perspectives and its expected outcomes include:

demonstrate knowledge about inclusive perspectives that provide success for people with ASD taking into consideration the diversity of the human within the community, school, working place and family;
understand ASD from different fundamental perspectives, namely neurodiversity, The International Classification of Functioning, quality of life, positive psychology; primary perspective, strengths-based approaches, preferences, interests, humanism, and pragmatism;
understand the needs, strengths and weaknesses, needs, and priorities of people with ASD from the cognitive, emotional, social, behavioral and communication perspectives;
recognize the heterogeneous nature of the ASD and how it impacts differently in individuals and families;
understand common challenges of ASD within different environments across lifespan;
understand evidence-based principles and strategies underlying successful interventions for people with ASD
identify challenges and opportunities in the workplace in order to answer the needs of the professionals that work with people with ASD;
know how to act in favor of people with ASD using a philosophy coined by humanity, responsibility taking and problem solving

Promoter of the initiative: Vinco

Country: Austria

Languages available: English Italian Portuguese Swedish