Online Neurodiversity Course

Neurodivergent describes people who sense or interpret their environments in different ways. Understand how neurodivergent people interpret the world.

This umbrella term includes people with dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, ADD, OCD, autism, learning differences and other neurological conditions. Whether you work, teach, live, or play with someone who walks to the beat of a different drum, this course can help you to understand their view of the world.

The movement to encourage neurodiversity is on!

Aims:

• Discuss what neurodiversity is.

• Explain the impact of neurodivergence on the wellbeing and development of children.

• Describe the impact of neurodiversity on the adolescent individual.

• Describe the impact of neurodiversity in adulthood on the individual.

• Describe the impact of neurodiversity on relationships.

• Describe the impact of neurodiversity in education and strategies to support neurodiverse students.

• Describe difficulties and opportunities for neurodiverse individuals in the workplace.

• Describe counselling techniques and strategies for working with neurodivergent individuals.

Assessment type:

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Scope and Nature of Neurodiversity

History of the term ‘Neurodiversity’

What is neurodiversity today

The difference between neurotypical and

neurodivergent brains

The neurodivergent experience

Other considerations

2. Neurodiversity & Childhood

Gender and neurodiversity

Education

Stereotyped behaviour

Mental health and neurodiversity

Strategies to help neurodivergent children

3. Neurodiversity & Adolescence

The transition from childhood to adolescence

Exercise and neurodiverse adolescents

Bullying in adolescence

Neurodiversity and mental health in adolescents

Adolescence and coping strategies

4. Neurodiversity in Adulthood

Neurodiverse adults and quality of life

Barriers to quality of life in neurodiverse individuals

Improving quality of life for neurodiverse individuals

Practical coping strategies for neurodiverse adults

Neurodiversity and work

Professional development

5. Neurodiversity and Relationships

Relationships and neurodiverse individuals

Interpersonal relations

Neurodiverse work relationships

Self-help groups

6. Neurodiversity in Education

Strategies in education

Teaching strategies for neurodiverse students

Neurodiverse children and education

Neurodiverse students in the classroom

7. Neurodiversity in the Workplace

Underemployment and unemployment

The benefits of neurodiverse employees

Neurodivergent jobs

Preparing for interviews

Maintaining neurodiverse individuals in the workplace

8. Counselling Neurodivergent Individuals

Introduction

Diagnosis

Counselling young neurodiverse people

Counselling neurodiverse adults

Case study – counselling for ADHD

International organisations that support neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is a field of study that only emerged in the 1990's. It isn't a

psychological disorder, rather it is an appreciation of normal variations that

occur in the human brain from one person to the next.

Natural and very normal variations in the brain which can cause variations in

mood, sociability, attention, learning and mental functions. Variations may be

slight, or more significant. Neurodiversity doesn’t refer to particular types of

brain. Every brain is different so there will always be variations from one brain to the next.

By learning about neurodiversity, you can better appreciate differences between individuals, and recognise all individual’s strengths and weaknesses.

• This can help people work better together, through a better understanding of each other.

• It can be a pathway to repairing or strengthening relationships.

• It can help managers deal with their subordinates.

• It can help business people interact better with their clients

• It can help teachers have a more effective relationship with their students