The Learn Play Thrive
Approach to Autism
Without training in autism-specific interventions, you can feel ineffective and discouraged in your work. In this 7.5 contact hour, in person course, you’ll learn concrete skills you need to be confident that your work is making the greatest possible impact.
Continuing Education
from Learn Play Thrive
Together we will
transform your practice
MODULE 1: A Strengths-Based Approach to Autism & Behavior
Never again write generic interventions that just don’t work. First, you’ll go deep into autism learning styles based on the latest research. This will help you move past outdated, deficits-based ideas about autism, and feel confident in your expertise. Then, with this foundation, you’ll learn a concrete process that will allow you to generate relevant, effective, and strengths-based interventions every time.
MODULE 2: Therapy Process
Get past feeling “stuck” and not knowing where to start with helping your clients meet their goals. Learn how to use informal assessment, individualized structure, visual instructions, and evidence-based autism teaching strategies to guide your therapy process from assessment through goal mastery and generalization.
MODULE 3: Making Schedules
Stop wasting your limited time making schedules that your clients don’t understand or use. You’ll learn how to create truly individualized schedules that will reduce transition battles and increase flexibility.
MODULE 4: Visual To-Do Lists & Self-Care Skills
Move beyond giving constant redirections and reminders that leave you feeling ineffective and make your clients frustrated and confused. You’ll master a method for creating visual to-do-lists that even your most concrete (or youngest) clients will understand. These visual to-do lists will keep your kids at the table for learning, increase independence in self-care skills, and provide new opportunities for social engagement and play.
MODULE 5: Play & Leisure
You know play and leisure are so important, but you often feel stuck knowing where to start or how to really explore new ways to play with your clients. Learn a fun, effective process for presenting new play activities and seeing if they become true play for your clients.
MODULE 6: Community Integration
Get past your fears of moving your intervention to the community, where real life happens! Learn exactly how to bring it all together and help your clients succeed out in the community.
This course is
actionable and concrete.
You’ll learn how to confidently help your clients meet their goals without ever using rewards or other compliance-based strategies in your practice. It’s all about understanding how autistic* people think and learn and shaping our interventions to reflect respect for their strengths and how they think and learn.
You’ll develop intervention plans you can apply in your practice right away.
*identity-first language used as it’s the preference of the autistic community
Investment
To be negotiated with company purchasing.
Access
Participants will receive the training live and have access to digital and print downloads.
Continuing Education
This course is registered for .75 AOTA CEUs (7.5 contact hours) & can be registered for .75 ASHA CEUs upon request.
FAQs
Information about completion requirements, accommodations, and more can be found in the FAQs.
The Learn Play Thrive Approach to Autism is
for you if…
You currently work with neurodivergent clients on functional daily skills
You feel bored and ineffective using the same interventions over and over again
You feel guilty sending the kids back to class or back home knowing that you weren’t as effective as you could have been
- You currently work with neurodivergent clients on functional daily skills
- You feel bored and ineffective using the same interventions over and over again
- You feel guilty sending the kids back to class or back home knowing that you weren’t as effective as you could have been
You want to feel confident in shaping your interventions based on autistic strengths
You are ready to let go of compliance-based approaches like withholding interests, hand-over-hand, and using reinforcers
- You want to feel confident in shaping your interventions based on autistic strengths
- You are ready to let go of compliance-based approaches like withholding interests, hand-over-hand, and using reinforcers
Meet your
Instructors
Meg Proctor
Meg Proctor
M.S., OTR/L
Meg has worked in early intervention, schools, and clinics. She is a former faculty member of the TEACCH® Autism program, and she is the host of the Two Sides of the Spectrum Podcast, where she interviews autistic adults and other professionals striving to change therapy practice.
She is the primary instructor in The Learn Play Thrive Approach to Autism, where she fills up the toolboxes of OTs and SLPs with strengths-based strategies to use in their work. Meg also teaches Module 1 of the LPT Approach to Autism as a stand-alone live course, A Strengths-Based Approach to Autism.
*We use identity-first language as it’s the preference of most autistic adults and helps to reduce stigma.
FINANCIAL: Meg is the owner of Learn Play Thrive and receives a salary.
NON-FINANCIAL: Meg has friends and colleagues who are autistic.
Please note: disclosure statements are contained in the Bio page for each speaker. Click on "READ BIO" above to review the disclosures.
I feel confident that it will change your practice.
– Meg Proctor, Founder of Learn Play Thrive
Full Course Objectives
MODULE 1: A Strengths-Based Approach to Autism & Behavior
Learn how to confidently and clearly understand behaviors and plan interventions based on clients’ strengths.
Develop six or more specific hypotheses about how a child’s behavior may be related to autism learning styles
Generate six or more intervention strategies based on specific client’s strengths
- Develop six or more specific hypotheses about how a child’s behavior may be related to autism learning styles
- Generate six or more intervention strategies based on specific client’s strengths
MODULE 2: The Process of Autism-Specific Therapy
Get un-stuck and become more effective in your therapy process.
Analyze a child’s learning needs using a process of informal assessment
Analyze client’s learning style and utilize this understanding to plan meaningful learning activities and visual instructions
Apply two or more teaching strategies that promote flexibility and generalizing for clients after task is mastered
- Analyze a child’s learning needs using a process of informal assessment
- Analyze client’s learning style and utilize this understanding to plan meaningful learning activities and visual instructions
- Apply two or more teaching strategies that promote flexibility and generalizing for clients after task is mastered
MODULE 3: Making Schedules
Stop wasting time making schedules that just don’t work.
Apply the interpreting behaviors process and an understanding of autism learning styles to identify three reasons why transitions may be hard for your clients with autism
Analyze a client’s learning style to determine what type of schedule (object, photograph, symbolic picture, picture & word, or written) will be most meaningful to them
Plan a schedule for a client, including instructions at the appropriate level (object, photograph, symbolic picture, picture & word, or written) , a method for the child to use the schedule (take and use, take and match, mark off, move to finished), and at least two concrete ways that the schedule can be used to promote flexibility
- Apply the interpreting behaviors process and an understanding of autism learning styles to identify three reasons why transitions may be hard for your clients with autism
- Analyze a client’s learning style to determine what type of schedule (object, photograph, symbolic picture, picture & word, or written) will be most meaningful to them
- Plan a schedule for a client, including instructions at the appropriate level (object, photograph, symbolic picture, picture & word, or written) , a method for the child to use the schedule (take and use, take and match, mark off, move to finished), and at least two concrete ways that the schedule can be used to promote flexibility
MODULE 4: Creating Visual To-Do Lists for Table Activities & Daily Living Skills
Get your kids’ engagement so that you can confidently teach.
Apply the interpreting behaviors process and an understanding of autism learning styles to identify three reasons why kids on the spectrum may have difficulty with adult-directed activities
Generate an individualized visual to-do list for table-top learning and for self-care routines
Create a plan for teaching using to-do lists that incorporates two or more strategies to promote flexibility and generalizing
- Apply the interpreting behaviors process and an understanding of autism learning styles to identify three reasons why kids on the spectrum may have difficulty with adult-directed activities
- Generate an individualized visual to-do list for table-top learning and for self-care routines
- Create a plan for teaching using to-do lists that incorporates two or more strategies to promote flexibility and generalizing
MODULE 5: Exploring Play & Leisure
Get crystal clear on how to teach this essential and challenging skill.
Analyze typical play environments to identify 2 barriers to play and leisure experienced by kids on the autism spectrum
Identify a child’s level of mastery and emerging skill level for both social play and play skills
Generate treatment plans that utilize one or more naturalistic strategies combined with one or more examples of structure and visual instructions
- Analyze typical play environments to identify 2 barriers to play and leisure experienced by kids on the autism spectrum
- Identify a child’s level of mastery and emerging skill level for both social play and play skills
- Generate treatment plans that utilize one or more naturalistic strategies combined with one or more examples of structure and visual instructions
MODULE 6: Community Integration
Ditch your fears of taking intervention out into the real world.
Synthesize and apply your knowledge across all modules to create intervention plans for clients going out into the community that include at least 3 strategies from the course
- Synthesize and apply your knowledge across all modules to create intervention plans for clients going out into the community that include at least 3 strategies from the course
Frequently Asked Questions
In each module I help you tailor the interventions to your client’s age and developmental level. This course is appropriate for professional working with kids from early intervention through adolescence.
Each module includes lectures, slides, videos, case studies, and an opportunity for you to apply your knowledge.
Yes! The course is self-paced and you have six months to complete it on your own time.
Yes! If 3 or more people from your company plan to enroll email me the names of everyone enrolling at admin@learnplaythrive.com and I’ll provide a coupon code. It’s 15% for 3 registrants, 20% off for 4 or more, and 30% off for 7 or more.
Learners must attend the training in full, singing in and out within 5 minutes of the start and end time in order to receive credit. Learners arriving late or leaving early will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Learners will receive their certificate of attendance after completing a course survey online after their attendance has been verified.
- If the live training is canceled by Client more than 14 days before the training, a full refund will be issued minus a $100 fee or 3.25% of the amount paid, whichever amount is larger. If the instructor has booked non-refundable travel, this will also be deducted from any refund issued.
- If the live traning is canceled by Client fewer than 14 days before the live training, Client will be offered the option to reschedule or to enroll learners in a comparable virtual training.
- No refunds will be issued based on fluctuations in the number of learners attending the training.
- Learn Play Thrive is not able to offer refunds once the Program has been delivered.
- If the live training is canceled by Learn Play Thrive, Client will be given the option of a full refund or access to a recorded version of the course.
All videos used in this presentation have closed captions. If you need additional accommodation, please email admin@learnplaythrive.com prior to your training date. Accommodations will be made to support all learners in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act.
You can send an email to admin@learnplaythrive.com
Time Ordered Agenda
8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Morning Topics
1. Interpreting Behaviors
2. The Process of Autism-Specific Therapy & Creating Learning Activities
3. Schedules
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch on your own
12:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Afternoon Topics
1. Visual To-Do Lists & Self-Care
2. Play & Leisure
3. Community Integration
Sometimes when you work with neurodivergent kids, you feel like you’re trying the same ineffective strategies over and over. This takes a huge hit on your confidence.
But with The Learn Play Thrive Approach to Autism you will reclaim your enthusiasm and show up more equipped to help your autistic clients.
This course will be available for ASHA CEUs until October 2028.
The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
ASHA CE Provider approval and use of the Brand Block does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products or clinical procedures.
