Staff training and the TEACCH approach

A focus on staff training

The Prior Approach is our specialist approach, based on autism best practice and methodologies and is carefully adapted to suit the specialist needs the young people at Prior's Court and support their physical, intellectual and emotional wellbeing.

At the heart of this is the approach - world-renowned for its effectiveness in supporting autistic people.

An exceptionally strong focus on training means staff are experienced in using a range of strategies to support young people's individual needs and development in all settings throughout the . 

Regular staff training from induction onwards ensures the highest levels of knowledge and expertise in all staff.

All of our senior staff are trained in advanced TEACCH, and two staff members are , around 30% of the UK's total. 

TEACCH is at the heart of Prior's Court's approach, and as such we are dedicated to ensuring our staff are trained in the methodology. We also want to share our experience and expertise with other professionals, parents and anyone wanting to learn more about supporting autistic young people.

Why use TEACCH? 

The aim of the TEACCH programme is to enable autistic people to function as meaningfully and as independently as possible in the community.

TEACCH has developed an approach known as 'Structured Teaching'. The principles of Structured Teaching are:

Understanding the learning styles of autistic individuals and how to use strategies that support these.

Developing an individualised plan of learning built on assessment and understanding of skills and strengths.

Structuring the physical environment to make expectations clear.

Using schedules to visually show a young person where they are going throughout their day.

Using work/activity system to visually show a young person what to do, how much is expected, when they will finish and what happens next

Using visual information to make activities understandable 

You can from the . 

Prior's Court staff training represents what we value in TEACCH: expertise in understanding the needs of their students, a dedication to education and life-long learning and a deep respect for the individuals they serve and their families.

Clinical Director from the TEACCH Autism Program, University of North Carolina

Research to inform practice

Our approach to supporting young people is based on autism research and recognised best practice. The Prior's Court Research Programme was set up in 2019 with the aim of working with partners on research projects which have the potential to further inform our practice and thereby further improve the outcomes for young people at Prior’s Court.

We hope the findings of these projects will help shape policy and sector development, potentially improving outcomes autistic young people from across the country.

Published: 5th December, 2023

Updated: 2nd April, 2024

Author: Rachel Drinkwater

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