Learning Opportunities

Autism presents in unique and different ways for every individual, and the strategies school supports such as teachers, educational assistants and consultants can use to support the growth and
development of these students should reflect that. This workshop series will provide attendees with an understanding of the Partner Stages*, a framework to pair supports and strategies used in the
classroom with the communication and regulation profiles of autistic students.

Part 1:This session will cover the Social Partner Stage* which focuses on children who are using primarily non-verbal gestures and behaviours to communicate, and who explore their environments through sensory and motor interactions. The session will provide with an understanding of how to support the strengths and
areas of need for autistic students who are not yet using words, pictures or signs and their primary form of communication is behaviour.
* Partner stages are from the SCERTS Model

Part 2: This session will cover the Language Partner Stage* which focuses on children who are emerging in their communication skills, using 1-100 words (spoken, visual or with signs). The session will provide with an understanding of how to support the strengths and areas of need for autistic students who are expanding their functional communication and gestures through single word and word combinations, and are starting to respond to symbolic visual supports.

Part 3: This session will cover the Conversation Partner stage* which focuses on children who are using conversational language to communicate and are beginning to use metacognitive strategies to support regulation. The session
will provide with an understanding of how to support the strengths and areas of need for autistic students who are using more than 100 words, spontaneously and functionally, and who may be navigating challenges in social interactions, peer relationships and more complex language.