Working Within a School

Certified Autism Specialists are an invaluable asset with schools, as they can aid teachers and other teaching staff in ensuring that enough support is provided for autistic children in the classroom. With 30 pupils to look after in every classroom, it can be hard for teachers to always provide the level of focus and support on individual students that is needed to ensure autistic pupils are getting the same learning experience as everyone else. 

Certified Autism Specialists can be on hand to help children with autism work through their classwork, to ensure that they understand it, and receive any help they may need in processing the information. Every child learns slightly differently, and children with autism may face additional barriers to their learning, and as a Certified Autism Specialist, you can ensure that they always receive the focussed attention needed to help them succeed. 

Working as a Certified Autism Specialist means you can also be on hand to help autistic children manage their emotions in the classroom if they are struggling. Having a meltdown in the classroom could severely impact their learning, but having that dedicated support will help them feel safe and looked after while they are completing their schoolwork.

Certified Autism Specialists can also help autistic children develop their social skills so that they can interact with their classmates and others around them a little easier. Again, all this support requires a personalised approach to ensure you are helping each child in the exact way they need to be helped. This is why a Certified Autism Specialist is a welcome addition to any classroom. Certified Autism Specialists are there to help ensure the success of every autistic student in the classroom, and to ensure that their autism does not hinder their classroom experience in anyway. 

Certified Autism Specialists can also be an excellent resource for other children in the classroom and not just those with autism. Helping teach the other children about what autism is and helpful ways to interact with autistic students can help create a more harmonious classroom environment for everyone.

You may also have to work closely with other staff members, as well as parents and carers, to ensure that autistic children in your school are properly supported.

If you decide you want to work in a school to help those with autism it’s worth noting that these roles are not restricted to just primary school. Rather, they will follow a person’s typical educational journey from nursery school until they leave higher education.

Working as a Support Worker

Certified Autism Specialist support workers are there to help make a positive contribution to the lives of children with autism and their families. 

Working With Multiple Clients

If you work somewhere like a healthcare setting, then you will need to manage a large number of clients on a regular basis to help them receive their help and support needed to help manage their autism.

Working with a range of clients and having regular appointments with them means that you will need to be able to manage a large workload, as well as building strong relationships with all of your clients to ensure they feel supported every time they visit you. 

If you’re wondering about the common day-to-day tasks which Certified Autism Specialists typically carry out, here is a look at some of the most common tasks you will have to complete. This will differ depending on where you work as a Certified Autism Specialist.

1. Select Your Training

To begin with, you need to decide what level of training you want to complete. If you’re looking to specialise in autism right from the start, you’ll want to pick a degree in autism, applied behaviour analysis, or special education. While some employers are only looking for a bachelor’s degree, many will expect you to be trained to a master’s degree or higher, so it’s important to consider this when picking your degree. 

As we mentioned above, you can also pick a more general but related degree such as childhood development, child psychology, psychology, or counselling. After completing this degree, you can then complete additional specialist training which focuses on autism and how to become a Certified Autism Specialist. Whatever training path you choose, it’s important to note that before you can practise as a Certified Autism Specialist, you will need to become board certified by passing the Behaviour Analyst Certification Board exam.

Enrol Now: Autism Awareness- CPD Approved Video Course

2. Start Applying for Jobs

Once you have completed your training, you’ll want to start looking for jobs. You may want to narrow down the area you’re looking to work in. For example, if you’ve always dreamed of working in an educational setting, you may want to only apply for jobs in this field rather than applying for a more general Certified Autism Specialist role.