Core Training

This is a 2-day workshop delivered online via Zoom live webinar.

$350 (inc. GST): General

$175 (inc. GST): Victorian CYMHS/CAMHS/ICYMHS, Orygen clinicians, Take Two, Headspace, ACCHO/ACCHS, AMHS (including Forensicare), Childrens' Health & Wellbeing Locals (Brimbank-Melton/Loddon-Bendigo/Southern-Monash)

_{Please note our workshops sell out quickly and therefore may not be available. We are sorry if you cannot access the training you would like to at this time.}  

Who is the training for?

Mental health clinicians and other professionals working with children and adolescents (primary/secondary school) wanting to adapt their therapeutic practice to be more autism friendly.

Who provides the training?

Dr. Deeta Kimber, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with extensive experience in regional and remote Australia, has developed a user-friendly program called Tracking Better®. She has adapted standard mental health assessments and clinical care into visual and modular steps, making it easier for children, families, and clinicians to understand and use.

Dr. Kimber shares her expertise and resources in supporting autistic children, young people, and their families, presenting simple and practical steps that clinicians can implement with their clients. The focus is on addressing common challenges faced in childhood, offering autism-friendly tools that are tailored to their specific needs.

What does the training include?

Learn how to identify autism in your clients and explore how their unique differences in communication, emotional awareness, & social intuition can be navigated in an episode of care in a practical hands-on way.

Participants will engage in a hands-on experience, gaining valuable skills to effectively support autistic individuals and their families by using practical and helpful techniques.

In this workshop, participants will learn to:

Part 1

Section 1: Recognising Autism

• Criteria for diagnosing autism spectrum disorder.
• Identifying common co-occurring conditions associated with autism.
• Recognizing red flags and when to suspect autism in a child.
• Importance of pursuing an autism diagnosis if suspicions arise.

Section 2: Working with Language

• What language differences in autism look like
• Strategies to facilitate communication with autistic individuals.
• Promoting effective communication and understanding in autistic individuals.

Section 3: CAMHS Assessment for autism

• Understanding the Maudsley interview and its role in assessing autism.
• Challenges related to language differences in autistic children.
• Addressing concerns and needs of parents seeking help for their autistic child.
• Dispelling common misconceptions about goal setting for autistic children.

Section 4: Polyvagal Framework

• Overview of the polyvagal theory and its relevance to autism.
• Understanding fight, flight, and freeze responses in autistic individuals.
• Role of sensory processing in triggering and regulating emotions.
• Supporting autistic individuals in developing social maps and coping strategies.

Section 5: Working with Emotions

• Practical skills to work with emotions in autistic individuals, distinguishing between survival and social emotions.
• Understanding how autistic individuals experience and express emotions differently.
• Implementing visual support and strategies to aid emotional understanding and regulation in autistic individuals.

Part 2

Section 6: Working with Meltdowns

• Learning how meltdowns serve as a form of communication and managing external defensive emotions during meltdowns.
• Helping autistic individuals explore and understand their internal emotions during meltdowns.
• Supporting parents in effectively assisting their child during meltdowns.

Section 7: Sensory Issues

• Recognizing sensory overload and its impact on autistic individuals.
• Identifying signs and symptoms of sensory overload in autistic individuals.
• Implementing strategies to assist autistic individuals in managing sensory issues effectively.
• Utilizing a sensory toolkit to provide support for autistic individuals.

Section 8: Coregulation - Crawl-Walk-Run Parenting

• Understanding the crawl-walk-run approach to parenting and regulation development.
• Applying the crawl-walk-run approach to parenting autistic children.
• Identifying other sources of support, particularly within the school setting, for autistic children.

Section 9: Coregulation - Crawl-Walk-Run Goal Setting

• Addressing challenges arising from invisible difficulties and trauma in goal setting for autistic individuals.
• Adapting goal-setting techniques to account for increased difficulty in learning and regulation for autistic individuals.
• Recognizing the importance of a longer childhood for autistic individuals and its impact on goal setting.
• Learning how to effectively support autistic individuals in their goal-setting journey.

Section 10: Working with Schools

• Giving permission to teachers to take a more relaxed approach in supporting autistic children.
• Integrating sensory breaks into the school day to aid autistic students.
• Defining realistic milestones for progress in autistic individuals.
• Ensuring schools have adequate support to meet the needs of autistic students.

What do participants say about the training?

“The whole workshop was fantastic!” (Sept 2024)

“Loved (the visuals) so great to take into my practice with families” (Sept 2024)

“Polyvagal theory was incredibly explained and so mind-opening” (Apr 2024)

“Very easy to understand and very informative” (Apr 2024)

“Best PD I’ve had (in) years” (Oct 2023)

Mindful - Autism Training Terms and Conditions

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