What was included

Session one: What is autism?

This session introduced trainees to definitions of autism, some of the history of how the diagnostic criteria have changed, and why they may be seeing more students in their classes with diagnoses than they used to.

It also discussed the ways in which autistic presentations can differ, both from the ‘classic’ autism they may be familiar with and how autistic people can differ from each other.

Related topics

Further key background topics were discussed, such as:

• models of disability and the impact they have on perceptions of autistic people;
• key theories of autism and how these have been updated in recent years;
• the legal framework in the UK, namely the Autism Act and the Equality Act.

Session two: Stigma and stereotypes

This session began by presenting a series of common stereotypes about autism and autistic people, and getting trainees to reflect on their own assumptions around each. After discussing the truth behind each one, the session discussed key groups who are often ‘missed’ because they are not part of these stereotypes – specifically, those who are not male, and those who are not White.

The session then moved on to discussing the stigma autistic people experience in society, and the impact this has both on an individual and systematic level on things like wellbeing and long-term outcomes.

Following this, the session introduced the concept of autism ‘awareness’ versus autism ‘acceptance’, and how trainees could actively reduce stigma in their own practice.experienced less anxiety, and reasonable adjustments for things like sensory sensitivities.

The session also discussed broader systemic adaptations, such as thinking about neurodivergence-friendly design of spaces, creating safe spaces and nominated people for autistic students to go to if they were distressed, and how to set realistic expectations for relationships with autistic students which work for everyone involved.

Session three: Autism and mental health

This session discussed what is known about autistic mental health. Starting with statistics about how prevalent different common mental health conditions are among autistic people (such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder), it moved on to discussing how these conditions can present differently in autistic people than they do in non-autistic people.The session then focused on camouflaging (also known as masking) and autistic burnout.

The impact of all these issues on academic engagement and achievement was then discussed, and ways to adapt common mental health interventions for autistic people, as well as some potential support and coping strategies. The session ended with some reflection on what good mental health looks like for autistic people, and that this is possible. Mental health difficulties are not automatically part of being autistic.

Session four: Autism and the university environment

This session looked at what it is like to be autistic at university, first introducing information about how many autistic students there are in the UK, and the increased likelihood of autistic students leaving their courses prior to graduation (‘dropping out’ of university).

Experiences and impact

The training then moved on to looking at the experience of being at university, things like getting diagnosed while at university, some of the support available such as Disabled Students’ Allowance, and different academic and social experiences which have a major impact on autistic students.These included discussions about:

• the sensory environments of learning spaces (e.g., lecture halls, labs, or seminar rooms);
• the social aspects of university (for example, meeting new people, living in halls, working with people you don’t know well);
• experiences around camouflaging, perfectionism, and other pressures.

Session five: Practical strategies to help autistic students

The final session focussed on providing trainees with suggestions for practical strategies which could improve the support they offered autistic students, and which they could suggest to autistic students to help them navigate university.

The strategies for staff revolved around ways to adapt their communication styles to respond to autistic differences, how to be clearer in their planning so that students experienced less anxiety, and reasonable adjustments for things like sensory sensitivities.

The session also discussed broader systemic adaptations, such as thinking about neurodivergence-friendly design of spaces, creating safe spaces and nominated people for autistic students to go to if they were distressed, and how to set realistic expectations for relationships with autistic students which work for everyone involved.