invest in play® ADHD and Autism Modules
Add-on Modules: ADHD and Autism
invest in play add-on modules complement the core parent and teacher programmes with information about neurodiversity and psychoeducational materials about ADHD and autism. This allows parents and teachers to learn evidence-based strategies to support children's emotion regulation, co-operation and social skills in order to match their specific, individual needs and make any necessary environmental changes.
Practitioners attend an additional 1-day training which teaches them to integrate additional programme videos and psychoeducational materials into the delivery of the core programmes so they can flexibly meet the needs of the children and families they are working with. Module materials include:
- ADHD or autism programme videos.
- ADHD or autism session guide for facilitators.
- ADHD or autism online psychoeducational videos for parents and teachers.
- ADHD or autism guide for parents and teachers.
Training
The ADHD and autism modules are integrated into the core programmes and it is a prerequisite for facilitators to have already completed the 3-day training for the parent or teacher programme. The add-on modules require an additional 1-day training which includes access to the ADHD or autism online programme videos and materials needed to deliver to parents and teachers, in all languages available.
Find a training near you …
Find out how to co-create the neurodiversity modules in your language here ….
Psychoeducational videos
Here is a clip from one of the seven psychoeducation no videos about ADHD which are available to share with parents and teachers on completion of the training.
Additional module materials
Sample of the ADHD parent guide and session guide
Why is this important?
ADHDChildren with ADHD are often smart, funny, creative, brave, empathic, tenacious and willing to take risks.
The words Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder make up the official diagnosis for ADHD; but these words only focus on the difficulties ADHD brings and they only tell part of the story for a child with ADHD and their family.
It is true that children with ADHD often have difficulties concentrating, staying on task and focusing. They might seem easily distracted, be seen as noisy and highly active, have difficulty remembering and following instructions or completing tasks. These characteristics may lead to difficulties at home, at school and with peers.
Each child with ADHD is unique, just like any other child, and parents, teachers and other caregivers often face challenges in trying to support them. Having ADHD also comes with many strengths. Children with ADHD are often smart, funny, creative, brave, and empathic, tenacious and willing to take risks. People with ADHD can often focus intensely on things that are of high interest to them – we call this hyperfocus. They may be very observant and might have an excellent memory for details and facts. They are often able to see on conventional solutions to problems or puzzles.
Being autistic comes with many strengths and possibilities. Some autistic people have strength in visual learning, long-term memory and logical thinking. Autism is not a single or simple condition and we are learning new things about it all of the time. Autistic peoples brains developing ways that can cause them to think, perceive and behave differently and non-autistic people.
Autistic people usually communicate and interpret social interactions differently than non-autistic people. Other common traits are having strong and persistent interests, engaging in repetitive behaviours or having different responses to sensory input than neurotypical people. Each trait occurs on a spectrum, meaning that each autistic person has different amounts of each trait and these very over time and situation.
Autistic people have a range of cognitive ability, just like neurotypical people. Some have significant cognitive delays, others are in the 'typical' range and some are cognitively gifted. Some autistic children use minimal spoken language and others may use advanced language at an early age. Some autistic children participate fully in most home and school activities, with some extra support, and some autistic children require more specialised support, across many areas. Some autistic children grow to live independently whilst others will always need caregiver support. The amount of support each autistic person needs may vary across different settings, situations and times of their lives.
Being autistic comes with many strengths and possibilities. Some autistic people have strengths in visual learning, long-term memory and logical thinking. Some are good at understanding, working with rules and paying attention to detail. Some can focus intently and learn a lot about things that's interesting. Some find pleasure in doing repetitive but important tasks that non-autistic people would find tedious. Some have a strong sense of justice and may be honest and punctual. Not all these things are true for all autistic people. Just as non-autistic people have a mixture of strengths and challenges, so do autistic people.