Autism Spectrum Disorder

Programmes
Autism Spectrum Disorder

Joanna Nienałtowska-Padło

Specialist in autism spectrum support

Autism Spectrum Disorder

A practical training programme for teachers working with autistic students. Including students with social communication difficulties difficulties, emotional overload, rigidity, anxiety and executive function challenges.

Essential

£59.00

£89.00

One-time · 12 months access

6 video modules
17 classroom materials
1 case study
Certificate
Teacher's Toolkit
Full materials library

Professional Recommended

£89.00

£129.00

One-time · 12 months access

6 video modules
52 classroom materials
5 case studies
Certificate
Teacher's Toolkit (66 pages)
Knowledge Booster (28 days)

or

Get All - from £21.00 / month

Is this for you?

You work with students who are bright, capable and articulate, but often struggle with everyday social situations.
You want to understand why a student can know complex facts, yet fail to follow a simple instruction or join a conversation.
You deal with meltdowns, shutdowns, anxiety, rigid routines, literal thinking or emotional overload in class.
You need practical strategies, communication tools, visual supports, procedures and ready-to-use classroom materials.
You want to stop guessing what is happening and start seeing the mechanisms behind the behaviour.
This programme is not for you if you are looking for a purely theoretical overview of autism without practical tools for everyday school situations.

This programme is not for you if you are looking for a purely theoretical overview of autism without practical tools for everyday school situations.

What you'll implement?

Ready to use tomorrow
- Clear crisis procedures
  
  Learn how to respond when a student becomes overwhelmed, loses access to rational thinking or moves towards a meltdown or shutdown. You will work with procedures such as SNAP, the Traffic Lights Technique and Freeze Frame.
- Better classroom communication
  
  Replace vague, indirect or figurative language with clear instructions that an autistic student can actually process. Learn why “Can you open the window?” may be understood literally — and what to say instead.
- Practical regulation tools
  
  Use body-based, sensory, relaxation and written communication tools that help students return to calm before any reasoning, reflection or problem-solving begins.
A different way of seeing the problem
- The student’s brain under stress
  
  Understand why logic, lectures and consequences do not work when the student’s “lid has flipped” and the thinking brain is temporarily offline.
- The mechanisms behind behaviour
  
  Learn how Theory of Mind, Mentalisation and Central Coherence shape classroom situations: tactless remarks, literal answers, social misunderstandings and difficulty with multi-step instructions.
- Routine, anxiety and rigidity
  
  See why routine is not stubbornness, why change can feel like a system crash, and why a student may need visual plans, advance warning and contingency procedures to cope.
Learning that actually stays
- Practical tools, not just ideas
  
  The programme includes cards, posters, scripts, procedures, worksheets, case studies, classroom activities, checklists and staff materials you can return to after the training.
- A 30-day follow-up
  
  The Knowledge Booster helps you revisit the key tools step by step, so the programme does not disappear after one viewing. It includes 10 emails sent every 3 days, each built around a short practical reminder and one tool to take into school.

What's inside this programme?

Video modules

6 modules · approx. 81 min total · one film per module

1

Programme introduction

2 min

Free preview

Why this training is built as a practical Teacher’s Toolkit, how autistic students may experience school as “Linux in a Windows world”, and why the goal is to stop seeing bad intentions and start recognising specific mechanisms.
2

Foundations, Diagnosis, Mind and Body

16 min
Available after purchase
Why the language of diagnosis is changing, what the Asperger profile means within Autism Spectrum Disorder, and how autistic students experience communication, emotions, body signals and sensory overload.

Lessons in this module
1. Introduction and New Classifications – Saying Goodbye to Asperger’s Syndrome
2. Key Cognitive Mechanisms – Why Doesn’t He Understand?
3. Toolbox Part One. Body and Relaxation – How to Let the Air Out of the Balloon
3

Emotion Regulation, Tools, Procedures and Stress

22 min
Available after purchase
Practical strategies for emotional regulation, including social tools, cognitive tools and emergency procedures for difficult moments in school.

Lessons in this module
1. Toolbox Part Two: Social and Cognitive Tools – The Paradox of Relationships and the Power of Logic
2. Concrete Regulation Techniques: The SNAP Method, the Traffic Light Technique and Freeze Frame
3. Stress: Enemy or Ally? Eustress, Distress and the Ostrich Strategy
4

The Social Nature of the Brain, Neurobiology and Communication

20 min
Available after purchase
What happens in the brain during emotional overload, how autistic students process emotions and why communication can be advanced in vocabulary but difficult in real social situations.

Lessons in this module
1. Emotions, Neurobiology and Affective Education, or The Brain in Your Hand and Learning to Feel
2. The Specific Nature of Language and Communication, or The Little Professor and the Trap of Literal Thinking
3. The Social Jungle, or Linux in a Windows World, the Stone Face and the Myth of Loneliness
5

Everyday Challenges, Rigidity, Anxiety and Organisation

20 min
Available after purchase
How routine, anxiety, change and executive functions affect school life — from coping with a supply teacher to packing a bag, starting work and managing daily tasks.

Lessons in this module
1. Cognitive Rigidity and Routine, or Why the Pasta Has to Be Cooked
2. Managing Stressors, or Ranking the Enemies: Anxiety, Self-Esteem and Change
3. Executive Functions and Self-Management, or Why Does a Genius Lose Their Pencil?
6

Course conclusion

1 min

Available after purchase

A final summary of the Toolkit approach: how to use patience, structure and practical tools to support a student who struggles with anxiety, social overload, rigidity and emotional regulation — while also recognising their strengths.

Teacher's Toolkit

66-page implementation guide · PDF · Professional package only

The written companion to the video training. It helps you return to the key concepts, procedures and strategies whenever you need them.

Module summaries and key takeaways
Clear explanations of diagnostic changes and the Asperger profile
Practical frameworks for understanding behaviour
Emergency procedures such as SNAP, Traffic Lights and Freeze Frame
Communication examples and classroom strategies
Tools for anxiety, rigidity, stress and executive functions

See sample pages

The Living Library

A resource library that grows with the programme

From the start, you get immediate access to selected classroom-ready materials - printable, fillable or ready to display. Additional resources are unlocked according to your access option: Essential or Professional. Some materials are available right away, while others are added gradually according to the programme schedule. And this is not the final version of the library. It is a living, evolving space - we are continuously working on new tools, templates and classroom resources to support your everyday teaching.

52

materials total
3

free for everyone
17

in Essential
52

in Professional

Classroom posters

5 materials
- Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions
  
  Colour map of core emotions, opposites and emotional blends, with a classroom instruction card.
  
  Essential Open
- Social Batteries: The 1:2 Rule
  
  Staffroom poster explaining why one hour of social interaction may require two hours of quiet recovery
  
  Essential Open
- 7 Common Adult Mistakes
  
  Staffroom poster showing well-intentioned adult responses that can escalate distress, with better alternatives
  
  Free Open
- The Pupil’s Manifesto
  
  Eight first-person requests from a pupil on the spectrum to their teacher.
  
  Free Open
- The Enemy Ranking
  
  Poster ranking the main stressors: anxiety, low self-esteem, change and meltdown, with matching tools
  
  Essential Open
Quick reference cards

5 materials
- Quick Reference Card
  
  Ten golden rules for working with a pupil on the spectrum
  
  Essential Open
- SNAP Procedure Card
  
  Pocket card for the Stop / Now And / Plan emotion-regulation procedure
  
  Essential Open
- Teacher’s Dictionary
  
  Two-column guide: what to avoid and what to say instead
  
  Essential Open
- Micro-Strategy Card
  
  Eight immediate strategies including the Third-Eye Trick, 1:2 Rule, writing instead of speaking and Safe Haven.
  
  Essential Open
- Glossary Card
  
  Fourteen key terms explained in plain English, including ASD, dyad, Theory of Mind, masking and meltdown
  
  Essential Open
Checklists and audits

4 materials
- Checklist: What Can I Change Tomorrow?
  
  Six-area daily practice checklist for language, response time, written communication, interpretation, organisation and adult regulation
  
  Essential Open
- Checklist: Staff Meeting
  
  Team checklist for agreeing shared standards across staff
  
  Essential Open
- Self-Audit: Does My Practice Support My ASD Pupil?
  
  Nine-area reflective audit linked to programme lessons
  
  Essential Open
- Checklist: Preparing for a Parent Conversation
  
  Five-point preparation tool for difficult parent meetings
  
  Professional Open
Emergency procedures

2 materials
- Meltdown & Shutdown Protocol
  
  Pocket guide distinguishing meltdown from shutdown, with a three-phase response.
  
  Professional Open
- IF–THEN Mini-Procedures
  
  Rapid-response scripts for common difficult situations such as refusing work, shutdown, outburst or rigid rule-following
  
  Professional Open
Pupil and 1:1 tools

8 materials
- The Competing Thought Worksheet
  
  Worksheet for working with rumination through “poison and antidote” thinking
  
  Professional Open
- Conversation Script: MEBO Model
  
  1:1 conversation guide using Thought, Emotion, Behaviour and Outcome
  
  Professional Open
- The Assumption Box
  
  Tool for separating facts from catastrophic assumptions.
  
  Professional Open
- Social Stories
  
  Five ready-made stories for common school situations, plus a blank template
  
  Professional Open
- My User Manual
  
  Pupil self-assessment form covering superpowers, kryptonite, warning signals and lifelines.
  
  Professional Open
- Contingency Plan
  
  Five-step form for managing change and restoring predictability.
  
  Professional Open
- Roman Room Memory Technique
  
  Guide to the Method of Loci for pupils with weak working memory.
  
  Professional Open
- Visual Timetable
  
  Fill-in lesson and day plan templates for reducing uncertainty.
  
  Essential Open
Staff and parent tools

6 materials
- Diagnostic Profile Card
  
  Structured pupil profile covering strengths, challenges and preferred strategies
  
  Professional Open
- Sensory Toolkit
  
  Classroom inventory of discreet regulation tools and the sensory needs they address
  
  Professional Open
- Teacher–Parent Conversation Scripts
  
  Scripted responses for denying, resigned or angry parents
  
  Professional Open
- Staff Meeting INSET Presentation
  
  Ready-to-run 45-minute staff training session
  
  Professional Open
- Bibliotherapy Card
  
  Curated reading list for teachers, parents, pupils and young adults
  
  Professional Open
- EHCP/IEP Quick Guide
  
  Mapping table linking Toolkit materials to formal support plan areas and measurable outcomes
  
  Professional Open
Case studies

5 materials
- Case Study Cards
  
  Four typical classroom situations analysed through what the teacher sees, what happens in the pupil’s mind and what tools to use.
  
  Free Open
- The Boy Who Called It As He Saw It
  
  Bblunt factual feedback, Theory of Mind, literalism and the correct response
  
  Professional Read
- The Timetable That Broke
  
  Meltdown after an unannounced lesson change
  
  Professional Read
- The Genius Who Couldn’t Start
  
  High ability, executive function difficulty and the missing “CEO”
  
  Professional Read
- The Girl Who Smiled Through Everything
  
  Masking, social batteries and the hidden cost of appearing fine
  
  Professional Read
Classroom activities: Early Years / KS1

3 materials
- Emotion Monsters
  
  Card game for teaching emotion recognition through pointing, mirroring and sentence completion.
  
  Professional Open
- Traffic Lights in Your Body
  
  Movement activity for practising RED / YELLOW / GREEN responses before crisis occurs
  
  Essential Open
- Body Detective
  
  Activity helping children notice where emotions appear in the body and recognise escalation levels
  
  Professional Open
Classroom activities: games

3 materials
- What’s Going On Inside?
  
  Team game for recognising internal states behind behaviour
  
  Professional Open
- Emotion Detective
  
  Activity for identifying emotional clues and possible meanings
  
  Professional Open
- The Translator’s Dictionary
  
  Word game for changing unclear phrases into clearer language
  
  Professional Open
Classroom activities: role-play

3 materials
- A Day in the Spectrum
  
  Simulation helping students and staff understand sensory and social load
  
  Professional Open
- The Two-Person Saw
  
  Role-play showing how relationships require timing and mutual adjustment
  
  Professional Open
- The Neurotypical Translator
  
  Role-play for naming a pupil’s internal state and offering a concrete solution
  
  Professional Open
Classroom activities: debates

2 materials
- Tom’s Trial
  
  Mock trial activity for analysing facts, assumptions and interpretations
  
  Professional Open
- Linux Has a Voice
  
  Debate activity exploring the “different operating system” metaphor
  
  Professional Open
Classroom activities: reflection and ritual

2 materials
- My User Manual
  
  Whole-class activity helping pupils describe their strengths, triggers and support needs
  
  Professional Open
- Class Thermometer
  
  30-second daily ritual for checking the emotional state of the class
  
  Essential Open
Classroom activities: new additions

2 materials
- Spot the Masking
  
  Discussion activity for recognising hidden distress behind apparent compliance
  
  Professional Open
- Stims Are Tools
  
  Card-sorting activity reframing stimming as a regulation strategy
  
  Professional Open
Classroom activities: teacher self-assessment

2 materials
- My Mistakes Ranking
  
  CPD activity for identifying which adult responses may escalate distress.
  
  Professional Open
- My Toolkit - What Do I Already Have?
  
  Teacher reflection activity for mapping current strategies and next steps
  
  Professional Open

Knowledge Booster

The Knowledge Booster helps you return to the programme after completing the video course - step by step, without trying to implement everything at once. Inspired by Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve: short emails sent at the right intervals to help you remember and apply what you learn.

Professional: 10 emails over 28 days

1

Day 1

Why your student isn’t being difficult
2

Day 4

"Why doesn't he understand?"
3

Day 7

The Brain in the Palm of Your Hand
4

Day 10

Physical and relaxation tools
5

Day 13

Traffic Lights and SNAP
6

Day 16

Freeze-Frame
7

Day 19

The Little Professor
8

Day 22

Cooked spaghetti
9

Day 25

Anxiety and the Assumption Box
10

Day 28

Captain of their own ship

You control when it starts. Activate from your account whenever you're ready - it won't start automatically.

Certificate of completion

Each Edutimo programme includes a short end-of-programme test. After completing the modules, take the test to confirm what you have learned and download your certificate of completion. The test is included in the programme and can be retaken if needed.

Ready? Take the test and get your certificate.

9 questions · approx. 10 min · available after completing all modules

Your trainer

Joanna Nienałtowska-Padło

Educator, psychoprevention specialist, sociotherapist and trainer, valued for warmth, authenticity and practical tools for teachers and parents.

autism spectrum support
challenging behaviors
students with SEN
parent-teacher collaboration
motivation
teaching methodology

What teachers say?

Trusted by teachers across Europe

Danuta D.

Teacher

"I liked that we could hear how to behave in different situations and what solutions to apply."

Kamila Z.

Teacher

"Practical tips as well as theoretical knowledge. One of the best training courses I have attended."

Joanna P.

Teacher

"Very useful knowledge at last — clear, professional information and excellent delivery."

Questions about this programme

FAQ

What's the difference between Essential and Professional?

Essential includes the core programme and selected practical materials. Professional gives you access to the full implementation library, extended materials and case studies.
How long do I have access?

You receive 12 months of access to the programme after purchase.
Does the programme include ready-to-use materials?

Yes. Depending on your package, you receive templates, scripts, cards, procedures, case studies and classroom tools.
What is the Knowledge Booster?

It is a 30-day email sequence that helps you revisit the most important ideas from the programme and apply them step by step.
Do I receive a certificate?

Yes. After completing the programme, you can download your certificate of completion.