Overview
CPD COURSE · HEALTH, SOCIAL CARE, EDUCATION & ALLIED PRACTITIONERS Autism and Asperger’s Awareness including Oliver McGowan elements 25 CPD HOURS ACCREDITED · CPD STANDARD OFFICE ENGLAND & WALES 10 MODULES 25 CPD HOURS 20 ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS ✓ CPD STANDARD …
Course Details
Autism and Asperger’s Awareness
ACCREDITED · CPD STANDARD OFFICE
ENGLAND & WALES
WHAT’S INCLUDED
10 teaching slides per module
Listen and learn on the go
Check understanding by ear
20-question assessment
Key information at a glance
OVERVIEW
This course gives practitioners who already work with the public a structured, evidence-based understanding of autism — including what happened to the term “Asperger’s syndrome” — and the reasonable adjustments, communication approaches and legal duties that follow from it in England and Wales.
It is built around the tier 1 and tier 2 topics named in the Oliver McGowan code of practice on statutory learning disability and autism training (DHSC, 2025): reasonable adjustments and hospital passports, accessible communication, diagnostic overshadowing, co-occurring conditions, the relevant laws, STOMP and STAMP, learning from LeDeR, Ask Listen Do, and the appropriate application of DNACPR decisions.
The course tells Oliver McGowan’s story at the level a practitioner needs — what was missed, why, and what the statutory training requirement now demands. It is continuing professional development: not the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training itself, not a regulated qualification, and not a licence to practise. Completing it does not by itself satisfy the statutory training requirement under section 181 of the Health and Care Act 2022 (England).
Ten modules follow a consistent shape: a divider with learning outcomes, ten teaching slides, and an Apply and Reflect task designed to produce recordable evidence of practice change.
WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR
Practitioners already working in roles where they meet autistic people — diagnosed or not — including:
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the course, learners will be able to:
Describe autism as a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference, use current respectful language and explain the history of the term “Asperger’s”
Recognise common presentations across the lifespan — including masking, monotropism and burnout — and refer through the correct pathway without attempting to diagnose
Summarise Oliver McGowan’s story, the LeDeR findings and the requirements of the Health and Care Act 2022 and the 2025 code of practice, including the two tiers of the mandatory training
Apply the Equality Act 2010 reasonable adjustments duty, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 principles and the Human Rights Act 1998 to everyday decisions, and describe the direction of the Mental Health Act 2025 reforms
Adapt spoken and written communication, use Ask Listen Do principles, and explain the double empathy problem
Carry out a sensory audit, and use hospital / health and care passports and (in England) the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag
Counter diagnostic overshadowing, identify common co-occurring conditions and describe the practitioner’s role in STOMP and STAMP
Respond to meltdown, shutdown and crisis at the level of recognition, low-arousal response, escalation and referral, within the law on restrictive practice
Signpost support across education, employment, social care and criminal justice in England and Wales, and plan safer transitions
Produce a personal and team action plan that can be evidenced in supervision and inspection
CAREER PATH
This course sits alongside — never instead of — the statutory route. Typical progression for a practitioner in England and Wales:
COURSE STRUCTURE
10 modules — each with a learning-outcomes divider, teaching slides, and an Apply & Reflect task.
Understanding autism today
How autism can present
Oliver’s story & the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training
Law and rights in England and Wales
Communication that works
Sensory environments & reasonable adjustments
Health inequalities & diagnostic overshadowing
Distress, meltdown, shutdown & behaviour that challenges
Support across settings and transitions
Putting it into practice
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Is this the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training?
No. This is a CPD course that covers the tier 1 and tier 2 topics named in the 2025 code of practice. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is the government’s recommended package to meet the legal requirement in England, is co-delivered by autistic people and people with a learning disability, and can only be delivered by accredited or approved providers. Completing this course does not on its own satisfy section 181 of the Health and Care Act 2022.
Q. Is it a qualification or a licence to practise?
No. It is continuing professional development. It is not regulated by Ofqual, Qualifications Wales or any professional regulator and does not license any activity. Whether it counts towards your own CPD requirements is for your professional body to decide.
Q. Is it accredited, and how many CPD points is it worth?
Yes. This course is accredited by the CPD Standard Office and is worth 25 CPD hours.
Q. Does it apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No. The content is written for England and Wales and distinguishes between them. Law, guidance and training requirements differ elsewhere in the UK.
Q. Does it cover Asperger’s syndrome?
Yes — as part of autism. Asperger’s syndrome was removed as a separate diagnosis in DSM-5 (2013) and ICD-11 (2022). The course explains the history and respects that many adults still identify with the term.
Q. Will it teach me de-escalation or restraint techniques?
No. Module 8 covers recognition, low-arousal response principles, escalation and the law on restrictive practice. Physical intervention training must be certified (Restraint Reduction Network standards) and delivered by your organisation.
Q. Can I diagnose autism after this course?
No. Only appropriately trained clinicians diagnose autism (NICE CG128 / CG142). The course teaches recognition, referral and adjustment.
Q. How long does it take?
The suggested delivery time is 45–60 minutes per module plus discussion, across 10 modules — an estimate for planning purposes.
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Course Features
- Lectures 12
- Quizzes 2
- Duration Lifetime access
- Skill level All levels
- Language English
- Students 2
- Certificate Yes
- Assessments Self
