Welcome to the Autism in Higher Education Course

As your curriculum tutor, I’m passionate about supporting students with Autism Spectrum Condition.

This on-demand course will equip you with knowledge and skills to support autistic students. You’ll gain insights into autism, explore the challenges students face, and learn strategies to create inclusive environments.

You will navigate the complexities of Autism Spectrum Condition and confidently assist autistic students, helping them reach their full potential.

Review the materials in the following sections - Course Overview, How you are Assessed, Learning Outcomes, and Help and Guidance - to get started.

I look forward to supporting your growth in understanding and skills related to Autism in Higher Education.

About the Team

This course on Autism in Higher Education has been written by a team with combined expertise in:

• Autism in Higher Education
• Non Medical Help in Higher Education
• Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
• Online and on-demand teaching and learning

Billy Haynes

Billy has over eleven years of experience in disability support within Higher Education. He began at Wolverhampton University as a note-taker for students with disabilities including autism, dyslexia, and visual impairments. Since 2017, he has worked as a mentor for students with ASC (Autism Spectrum Condition). From 2019 to 2021, he was the Disability Support Coordinator at Aston University, delivering training and assistance to support staff. In 2022, Billy joined Altena Education to develop training and support for NMH professionals.

Billy holds the specialist qualifications 'Autism and Spell in Higher Education' (National Autistic Society) and 'Understanding the Support Needs of Students with ASC in Higher Education' (Spectrum First).

Billy has a degree in Philosophy, and is also a writer and musician.

Dr Benedict Carpenter van Barthold, PGCert (HE), FHEA

Ben has over 25 years' experience of teaching and learning in Higher Education. Having formerly been Associate Head of School and Associate Professor (De Montfort University, Leicester) and Principal Lecturer (Nottingham Trent University), he has deep experience of curriculum development, course validation, and quality assurance.

Ben is a qualified teacher in Higher Education, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. In recent years, he developed a particular interest in how students learn in asynchronous, online environments. He joined Assisting Students Creatively in 2023 to spearhead the development of our suite of on-demand courses for NMH professionals.

Ben has a PhD in Art History, and a Masters degree in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art. He is interested in art, film and cookery.

Dr Emma Franklin

Emma has over ten years' experience working in Further and Higher Education as a writer, researcher, and educator. Her expertise is in corpus linguistics and lexicology, with research focusing on areas such as ecolinguistics and critical animal studies. She holds a PhD in Linguistics (Lancaster University) and an MRes in Corpus Linguistics (University of Birmingham).

Her professional experience includes serving as Head of Safeguarding at a software company (Jan–Dec 2023), where she led on safeguarding and delivered training on online safety. She has also worked as a Lecturer in Digital Humanities (Uni. of Wolverhampton) and a Research Associate (University of Sheffield). Her skills include providing linguistic consultancy, academic mentoring, and over a decade of experience in proofreading and copyediting.

Your Training Provider: Altena Education

In association with Assisting Students Creatively

Assisting Students Creatively (ASC) is an NMH student support company based in the Heart of England, providing quality and bespoke support nationally for students with disabilities in Higher Education.

ASC have worked with students with a wide range of disabilities and learning difficulties, supporting them through university and beyond. The team at ASC have comprehensive experience of working with autistic students in a number of different roles.