Guide two: curriculum
This theme relates to Gatsby Benchmarks three and four. These state that teachers should link curriculum learning with careers and that a school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
Curriculum planning is an essential opportunity to provide awareness of the pathway to employment for autistic young people. It also ensures that all staff are engaged in the journey.
For an autistic cohort of young people accessing a mainstream curriculum, you may be working with young people that have an EHC plan and some that do not. Curriculum planning and careers education for those young people whilst they are in your educational setting is even more important, as they enable the young person to transition more independently into meaningful and sustained work.
When thinking about curriculum planning for autistic young people, always tailor the education to the person and really focus on building self-advocacy skills (written, visual and verbal).
This theme relates to Gatsby Benchmarks three and four. These state that teachers should link curriculum learning with careers and that a school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
Curriculum planning is an essential opportunity to provide awareness of the pathway to employment for autistic young people. It also ensures that all staff are engaged in the journey.
For an autistic cohort of young people accessing a mainstream curriculum, you may be working with young people that have an EHC plan and some that do not. Curriculum planning and careers education for those young people whilst they are in your educational setting is even more important, as they enable the young person to transition more independently into meaningful and sustained work.
When thinking about curriculum planning for autistic young people, always tailor the education to the person and really focus on building self-advocacy skills (written, visual and verbal).
On this page, you will find information on the following:
- What you teach autistic young people
- How you teach autistic young people
- How to embed work-related learning opportunities across the curriculum
- Where you teach
- Download our resources.
What you teach autistic young people
When moving into employment, many autistic young people struggle to understand how making a disclosure may be beneficial for them and worry about being stereotyped or excluded from opportunities.
Knowing when, how and who to disclose to can also be difficult. Autistic young people can struggle with making positive disclosures and may talk negatively about themselves and their skills and talents.
It’s crucial that as part of an autistic young person’s education experience they develop a positive understanding of themselves. This will look different for all autistic young people and should be facilitated as part of your curriculum.
Young people understanding their strengths and skills, as well as being able to effectively communicate what adjustments are likely needed for them to thrive, will help bridge the gap between classroom and employment. We have designed a self-advocacy plan in our resources section to begin your integration into your curriculum planning.
Download learning resource: self-advocacy lesson plan
Download learning resource: self-advocacy booklet
In our resources section, you will also find a printable card deck of autism myths and facts. This is a great activity to deliver during a group session with both your autistic young people and non-autistic young people. The myths and facts will begin to facilitate conversation and dispel stereotypes.
Download learning resource: myths and facts card deck
How you teach autistic young people
Think about where you can embed learning within existing subjects. For example, if learners are studying for their GCSE English exam, their oral exam practice can be used as an opportunity to practise role-play speaking with an employer. This can also help identify any adjustments needed, e.g. needing longer to process questions and reply.
A collaborative approach to embedding careers education across the curriculum is key here, and there will be multiple opportunities to do so. You could deliver a staff inset day and do a deep dive into the curriculum with subject leads, actively looking at the taught curriculum and identifying links to careers education and the wider network of employers that you may have built up.
- Can a local construction project manager talk to your students in a maths class about trigonometry on site?
- Or can an enterprise project be created by young people during their food technology lessons?
In addition, we know that in teaching autistic young people, their interests and skills can be a catalyst for enhancing your subject. For example, if they love anime, use this in art to explain how anime is created and refer to animator careers. If they love whales, use this in a biology lesson and refer to marine biologist careers.
How to embed work-related learning opportunities across the curriculum
Along with careers education being embedded within existing subjects or timetabled sessions, you may want to create a bespoke scheme of work for structured work-related learning sessions. This is where you can use an employer network to support young people through visits to workplaces and by delivering workshops.
National Careers Week takes place in March every year and is an ideal opportunity to either do a drop-down timetabled week or ensure that every session during the week has a careers education focus.
A good careers programme should include tracking the destination of your alumni (see transition theme for more information). Your alumni are the perfect autistic role models to support curriculum delivery.
- Do you have an alumnus working locally in a business?
- Can they be supported to return to your setting to deliver a presentation or assembly on their job?
Where you teach
In supporting autistic young people, the design of your space is crucial. People’s needs are either fulfilled or frustrated by their environment.
The environment can serve to nurture and enrich individuals, and facilitate development, but can also be disruptive. This can lead to less optimal development, distress, developmental regression or alienation. Therefore, when thinking about distressed behaviour, we need to explore underlying needs and environmental factors.
Download guide: inclusive classroom design checklist
Download our resources
Learning resource: self-advocacy lesson plan and booklet
Learning resource: myths and facts card deck
Guide: an inclusive classroom design checklist
Continue exploring the CEF and move on to the experiences in and out of the workplace theme next