Autism: what you need to know
In collaboration with autism expert Els Blijd-Hoogewys
Can be followed where and when you want, at your own pace
Specially developed for parents &
partners of people with autism
Autism training: what you need to know
Contents of this online training
We start this training by refreshing your knowledge about autism using five questions. You will also receive the latest insights from scientific research, so that you are completely up to date.
Our brain has to process a lot of information all day long. This comes in through our senses, among other things. In this session you will learn how information processing takes place in the brain of people with autism. This also gives you a better understanding of where things can sometimes go wrong.
A birthday, a drink at work, a chat with the neighbors or picking up the children from a play date: social contact and communication are often hard work for people with autism. Why? In this session you can read what this could be related to.
In this session we will talk about emotions: what exactly is the deal with empathy and autism? What is the connection between emotions and physical complaints? And what can you do to feel more connected to your partner or child?
Questions such as: how do you meet your partner or child's need for routines and rituals, what do you do if certain tasks or chores are forgotten or not completed? And: does autism make someone a better or worse parent? You will get answers to these questions, among others, in this session about predictability.
In this session you will learn more about stimulus sensitivity, an important topic because it affects, among other things, the intimacy with your partner or the attachment of your child.
Not every person with autism has a special talent. But of course everyone has his or her own qualities. And we know that recognizing and utilizing your qualities makes you happier. You will learn in session 7 how to use the special qualities of people with autism within your relationship and/or your family.
With an autistic partner or an autistic child, keeping the household running and maintaining social contacts can be a lot of questions. Maybe you often feel like you have to 'pull the cart' or your child demands so much attention and patience from you that you don't get around to resting and refueling. In the last session you will delve into your own energy balance.
Make life with autism more pleasant, for yourself and others
- Better understand your partner/child (or both) with autism
- What influence the main characteristics of autism have on the relationship between you and your partner or your child
- How to deal with your loved one's sensitivity to stimuli and emotions
- But also: how to take your own needs and energy balance into account
- With concrete advice that you can apply in your daily life
Who is this training suitable for?
1 to 2.5 percent of Dutch people, approximately 200,000 people, have autism. The number of people dealing with autism within the family - as a partner or parent - is of course many times greater. We made this training primarily for them. But even if you are dealing with autism as a brother or sister, grandparent, friend, colleague, teacher or healthcare provider, you can gain a lot of insights and advice from this training.
Everyone is valuable
The neurodiversity movement promotes the idea that there is no 'standard brain', because all people are different - and that it is important that these differences are embraced. After all, everyone makes a unique, valuable contribution to society. That is also the starting point of this training, which is why we asked several people with autism to read along during its development.
This is what you get
- 6 theme podcasts with advice and insights from expert Els Blijd-Hoogewys
- Clarifying questions, exercises and assignments that you can work on yourself (and sometimes together with your partner or child).
- In each session a personal anecdote or experience of someone with autism
- Exclusive access to 8 in-depth sessions in our Psychology Academy learning platform for a year
- A downloadable report of all assignments completed