Enrolling on the course will give you the opportunity to earn an Open University digital badge. Badges are not accredited by The Open University but they're a great way to demonstrate your interest in the subject and commitment to your career, and
to provide evidence of continuing professional development.
Once you are signed in, you can manage your digital badges online from My OpenLearn. In addition, you can download and print your OpenLearn statement of participation – which also displays your Open University badge.
The Open University would really appreciate a few minutes of your time to tell us about yourself and your expectations for the course in this start-of-course survey. We welcome your feedback and suggestions to improve the course.
Earn this free Open University digital badge if you complete this course! The badge can be displayed, shared and downloaded as a marker of your achievement. The badge is awarded for completing the course and passing the quizzes.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- outline what is meant by autism, why it is considered a spectrum and how it affects different individuals and families
- appreciate different approaches to understanding autism, including theoretical and clinical perspectives and personal accounts
- outline key features of psychological, neurobiological and genetic explanations of autism
- explain key aspects of diagnosis, intervention, education and life-span development
- understand topical issues including neurodiversity perspectives, autism prevalence in women and autism in global context.
First Published: 26/04/2017
Updated: 02/04/2024