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"Absolutely amazing!" Learning Disabilities and Autism Training with Insight Academy Aug 2023


Last week, I had the pleasure of working with a vast array of folks from across Stoke on Trent. All courtesy of Expert Citizens insight Academy. Stoke-on-Trent is so fortunate to have such a splendid organisation, equipping professional with various skills to improve working practices and also ensure they’re not heading for burnout.


On Wednesday I delivered my Learning Disabilities course and on Thursday it was Empathy Fatigue.


I have a real affinity for learning disabilities as back in my teaching days I was a programme leader for young people 14+ who had learning disabilities and / or autism. It was a defining part of my life, especially as it was incredibly rewarding. My colleagues at the time imbued me with such knowledge, I felt confident and infused with information. I was able to enter into my students’ world and see things from their perspective. Sometimes they had experienced dreadful neglect and other times they had had wonderful childhoods, surrounded by love and affirmation. It was one extreme to another.


My course, ‘Recognising and Responding to People with Learning Disabilities’ was created with people with lived experience, including family members, teachers, professionals and most importantly people with learning disabilities and / or autism themselves. To say that the training films went down a storm would be an understatement. The learners on my training loved watching my interviews and gaining so much knowledge from the interviewees. It was particularly wonderful day and I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of it, especially as the assembled throng got to play my board game ‘Connect’ which I created from scratch and rarely get to unveil.


I’ve collated together a smattering of the feedback comments, all 100% positive (of course) and extremely gratifying for me. It is great to see that people understand how much work I put into creating my courses.


Would you recommend this training to others and why?


• Definitely, I plan on recommending to a friend who has a child with autism.

• Yes I would because its fun and it extends your knowledge.

• Yes, it is very motivational and put across in a way that makes the information memorable.

• I have absolutely loved the training, which was very well paced, informative, fun and one of the best training sessions I have attended from a fantastic trainer – Thank you!

• Absolutely.

• Absolutely! Great learning from other people attending the session.

• Anyone at all who could interact with someone who has a LD – the general public!

• Definitely as was so interesting and well produced Steve really held the course to a high standard.

• We need more Steven Talbots!

• Fabulous trainer! As always interactive and liked the board game! I will try to make my own, Thanks Steven.


How will the training you experienced shape your practice in the future?


• I feel better equipped to communicate with and support people with LD.

• This has helped greatly towards training I am currently doing towards becoming a learning support assistant and has further added to and endorsed that training in a very practical, visual and memorable way.

• I will be able to recognize the different behaviors of someone with autism.

• The training will shape my practice as a lecturer + practitioner in social care.

• Will help when engaging with the homeless cohort who often have learning difficulties but no support.

• Helping to identify potentially undiagnosed LD’s and respond appropriately.

• To treat LD as equal, they have a voice and need to be heard and listened to.

• I learned new meanings of words and how not every disability is seen and how people are affected by it.

• I learned a lot about negative opinions and misconceptions about learning difficulties and / learned a lot about the “individuals” point of view about their conditions / difficulties and how the way that people treat them make them feel.

• I learnt the difference between a learning disability + a learning difficulty and cylindrical approach, I also learned a huge amount about autism, which I didn’t know. Nothing else it was absolutely amazing!


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