As a former teacher in both mainstream and specialist education, I continue to hold a sincere passion for building up young people: whether directly through work with students (autistic or otherwise), or through wider staff training.
I’ve been teaching for 17 years and this was honestly the best training I’ve ever received, I wasn’t even counting down until break time!
-Teacher, primary school in Basingstoke
So, what can I do for your staff or your students?
- Staff training: speaking from both personal and professional experience, I share my autism-related insights and how they may apply to your school and students – covering topics that include wellbeing and mental health, the art of accommodation, meeting academic needs, and building a positive self-perception, among others. (The content of my training, and the length of it, is flexible depending on the needs of your school.)
- Autism-specific workshops for autistic students: Most commonly, these workshops cover topics such as anxiety, emotional regulation, and becoming the best version of yourself you can be.
- Autism-specific workshops for students in general: For more general young audiences, I usually discuss the core principles of what neurodiversity is, why we have it, and why it’s a good thing!
- Author visits: I am a published author of young adult and children’s fiction, and am very keen on sharing my love of creative writing (and recreational reading) with young people.
- Talks for parents: Sometimes, schools feel it would be beneficial to involve their parent community in my visit! I typically speak about lessons I wish I’d learned growing up autistic, and how these lessons may apply to their children and teenagers.
- Assemblies: I’m a speaker by profession, so assemblies are no problem. With that said, this option is probably combined with others in this list. On a similar note…
- Several of these in the same day: Because since I’d be coming anyway, we might as well discuss the maximum amount of good I can do for you while I’m there!
“Absolutely BRILLIANT! One of the best and most impactful speakers I’ve ever heard! I’ve already said to our SLT we need to get him in to school for whole school training!” -Deputy SENDCO (delegate), Devon Education Services SEND conference
All my work is influenced by my personal and professional experience as an autistic teacher (and former autistic child!), with a heavy focus on student wellbeing – just the way it should be.
My background within education includes:
- My work as a primary school teacher;
- My work as a teacher in a school for autistic students (including GCSE mathematics teaching);
- Tutoring work for the local authority with students who are outside of the education system for a wide variety of reasons;
- Mentoring and tutoring work for those with EOTAS packages;
- TA work in primary and specialist education (including for those with complex disabilities);
- Personal experience as an autistic person in the education system (as a child and as an adult).
This is all combined with my experience as a speaker, trainer and autism consultant since 2015.
If you would like to learn more, please email me at chris [a] autisticnotweird [dot] com, and I’d be delighted to discuss how we can work together. I am based in the British East Midlands, but willing to travel far and wide.
Hearing Chris talk was the best hour of my Friday.
-Support worker (MacIntyre No Limits), Oxford