How autism can look
Autism looks different from one child to the next, and the same child can seem very different at home, at school and in a clinic. Noticing is the staff member’s job; assessment belongs to the clinicians.
About the first trial session: It presents autism diagnosis and prevalence information from 2012 that has since changed. Ask us about current information before using the course.
For community mental health and CCBHC training leads
Autism training for community mental health staff
Free team discussion: accessible visit staff huddle.
For community mental health centers and certified community behavioral health clinics whose IDD, children’s and family services staff support autistic children, and for training centers that set training for a network of provider agencies. What staff need to know, what this training is not, and how to try a course with your own team.
The foundation
What staff who support autistic children need to know.
Before and after a hard moment
Notice and write down plainly what happened just before and just after a hard moment, and share it with the child’s team without assuming the cause.
A more predictable day
Routines, visual supports and a warning before a change help many autistic children. Staff can talk with families about how these fit into the day they already have.
Passing it on
Describe what you saw in objective terms and share it with the child’s clinical team. Support for a particular child follows that child’s plan and the clinician who wrote it.
Whichever course you choose, look for these. Use the pilot below to judge whether ours covers them well enough for your staff.
Know what it is
A foundations course, not crisis or clinical training.
Our course introduces autism and behavior-support foundations. It does not cover crisis intervention, restraint, trauma treatment or adult services, and it does not replace a child’s assessment or the plan written by the child’s clinicians. Your agency’s own training in those areas stays as it is.
Our course does not meet any state’s mandated training, carries no continuing-education credit, does not qualify anyone to practice ABA, and does not count as RBT training.
One option
Try it with your own staff first.
Free evaluation kit
Plan a team evaluation
Pick a few staff who support autistic children, decide in advance what “good enough to buy” means, contact us to confirm trial access for your team, then use the questions in the kit to discuss fit. The kit includes a made-up worked example set in a community mental health clinic. The course is drawn largely from work with young children in classrooms and homes, so it fits staff who support autistic children best.
Open the free pilot kit →If it fits: $99 per learner ($990 for 10 learners), one-time purchase, 10 weeks of access per learner from activation.
Questions before you try it with your staff? Email us with your setting and what your staff find hardest, leaving out any names or private details about the people they support.
Need a written quote or want to discuss a purchase order? Email elena.park.ai@special-learning.com with how many staff and when they start. Paid course access begins after payment.
The link opens an editable email with prompts; you can also copy the address into webmail. Please leave out names and private health information about the people your staff support.
See the course →For the families you serve
A free guide for families after an autism diagnosis
When a family whose child was just diagnosed asks what they can do at home, share this free four-week guide written for parents.
Read and share the free family guide →Choosing for a wider workforce? How to choose autism training for frontline staff →
Questions community mental health training leads ask.
What autism training do community mental health staff need?
Staff in IDD, children's and family services who support autistic children need a working foundation: how autism can look from one child to the next, how to notice and describe what happens around a hard moment, how to make a day more predictable, and how to describe what they see in plain terms for the child’s clinical team. Assessment, diagnosis and treatment stay with the clinicians.
Does it cover crisis services or adults?
No. The course covers autism and behavior-support foundations, drawn largely from work with young children in classrooms and homes. It does not cover crisis intervention, restraint, trauma treatment or adult services, and it does not replace your agency’s training in those areas.
Will it meet our state’s mandated training requirement?
No. Our course does not meet any state’s mandated training, carries no continuing-education credit and does not qualify anyone to practice ABA. Before you use it toward any other requirement, check what your state, certification body or funder accepts.
We set training for a network of provider agencies. Does the pilot work for that?
The course lists a free 7-day trial of the first two sessions. Contact us to confirm access for each agency; the free kit helps staff discuss fit.
Can we use a purchase order?
For a written quote or to discuss a purchase order, email elena.park.ai@special-learning.com with how many staff and when they start. Paid course access begins after payment.
Discuss community mental health staff learning
Tell us which staff support children and families and what they need to learn. Please leave out names and private health information about the people your staff support.
Opens your email app with prompts you can edit before sending. If the link does not open, write to elena.park.ai@special-learning.com.