Some learners with sensory difficulties and/or autism may find it difficult to concentrate or learn in the classroom or other learning environments. This course introduces the Environmental Audit, which is a practical tool designed to provide practitioners with all the information needed to help them to make their learning environment more beneficial to sensory learners or learners with autism.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Introducing an Environmental Audit

    • Introduction and course structure

    • Course outline

    • Your expectations of this course

    • A: Why do we need an Environmental Audit?

    • B: Six Key factors in the classroom environment

    • C: Using the environmental audit in your learning space

    • D: Downloadable Classroom Assessment

    • E: Practical suggestions following your Environmental Audit

    • F: Case study

    • Quiz

    • Conclusion

    • Evaluation form

Instructor

Hirstwood Training Founder

Richard Hirstwood

Richard Hirstwood is the founder of and lead consultant for Hirstwood Training. He is passionate about enabling educators/practitioners to maximise the impact of delivering sensory learning opportunities, in a sensory room or other learning environments, with the resources available to them. He has developed innovative ways of delivering key skills and competencies via face to face training; coaching sessions; and hands-on work with teachers and teaching assistants; as well as creating bespoke portfolios of training videos for more than a hundred individual schools and settings. His extensive experience is based on practical knowledge, giving him insight into what works and what doesn’t in multisensory practice. Regular sessions with children and adults with autism and all additional needs in a variety of multisensory and classroom settings enable him to maintain this level of excellent practice.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the staff, parents and children from the following schools for their enthusiasm and permission to let us film them in action!

Kemball School, Stoke on Trent, United Kingdom

Nelson Park School, Napier, New Zealand

Fairhaven School, Napier, New Zealand

Thank you to Glenwood School, Benfleet, United Kingdom for letting us share shots of their tremendous classrooms.