The development of a National Professional Competency Framework for educational practitioners working with pupils on the autism spectrum

The Lamb Enquiry (2009) reported that of all SEN provision, it was provision for children on the autism spectrum that parents felt least satisfied with. Many autobiographies from people on the spectrum also speak of poor experiences of school. This presentation reports on the development of professional standards and a competency framework for settings and practitioners working with pupils on the autism spectrum, in order to bring about better opportunities for people on the spectrum, and excellence in service provision via maximising inclusive yet differentiated practice. This work has been commissioned by the Autism Education Trust (AET), in conjunction with the development of training material. Both the school-wide practitioner standards and the individual practitioner competencies will be presented as cross-referenced self-evaluation tools that schools can use to rate their practice.