Level 3 Autism & Learning Disability – Advanced Support Practice

This TrainifyHUB Level 3 advanced CPD course develops practical knowledge for experienced adult social care staff who support autistic people and adults with learning disabilities. Across 15 structured Modules, learners explore rights-based support, communication, sensory adjustments, health inequalities, trauma-informed practice, functional understanding, Positive Behaviour Support, safeguarding, Mental Capacity Act principles, medicines boundaries, relationships, transitions and practice leadership. The course is non-regulated professional development and does not constitute an RQF qualification, Diploma, Award or Certificate qualification.

👥 What you need

This advanced course is designed for learners with a foundation in adult social care practice, person-centred support, safeguarding and care planning. Workplace experience is strongly recommended so that the Level 3 application activities can be related to real practice.

⏱ Learning time

Allow approximately 5 hours 4 minutes in total, including teaching videos, guided self-study, practical activities and the final assessment.

📘 Module 1 — Rights-Based, Person-Centred Advanced Support

Learning focus: Embed human-rights principles, dignity, active support and least-restrictive practice into everyday adult social care.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Explain how rights and person-centred values shape daily support.
✓ Distinguish active support from passive task-led care.
✓ Apply choice, dignity, respect and least-restrictive thinking to a routine support situation.

Workplace application: Review a daily routine and rewrite three passive-care actions as active, rights-based support.

📘 Module 2 — Understanding Autism and Learning Disability

Learning focus: Build a clear, non-stereotyped understanding of autism and learning disability, including important differences and possible overlap.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Differentiate autism from learning disability without assuming one implies the other.
✓ Recognise how needs can vary widely between individuals.
✓ Explain the statutory requirement for role-appropriate learning disability and autism training in CQC-regulated services.

Workplace application: Create a team briefing note that separates “what we know about the person” from assumptions based on a diagnostic label.

📘 Module 3 — Communication and Accessible Information

Learning focus: Match communication to each person’s expressive and receptive profile and provide accessible information.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Differentiate expressive and receptive communication.
✓ Select accessible formats appropriate to the person.
✓ Adapt language, processing time and environment to improve understanding and participation.

Workplace application: Convert a routine activity schedule into an accessible format for a stated communication profile.

📘 Module 4 — Sensory Processing, Environment and Reasonable Adjustments

Learning focus: Recognise sensory processing differences and reduce environmental stress through proportionate reasonable adjustments.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Identify common sensory and environmental stressors.
✓ Plan reasonable adjustments based on individual evidence rather than assumptions.
✓ Explain why specialist sensory interventions should follow appropriate assessment.

Workplace application: Complete an environmental sensory audit and propose three measurable adjustments.

📘 Module 5 — Co-production, Choice, Control and Independence

Learning focus: Move from tokenistic involvement to genuine co-production, choice, control and supported independence.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Explain co-production in day-to-day support.
✓ Build meaningful choices into routines and care planning.
✓ Recognise the role of independent advocacy and supported self-advocacy.

Workplace application: Design a co-produced review agenda showing how the person will shape goals, decisions and follow-up actions.

📘 Module 6 — Health Inequalities and Diagnostic Overshadowing

Learning focus: Identify health inequalities and prevent physical health needs being dismissed as “behaviour” or disability.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Explain diagnostic overshadowing.
✓ Recognise sudden behaviour change as a possible sign of pain or ill-health.
✓ Facilitate access to GP/health review while staying within non-clinical role boundaries.

Workplace application: Prepare a concise pre-appointment health summary for a person with a sudden change in presentation.

📘 Module 7 — Mental Health, Distress and Trauma-Informed Support

Learning focus: Provide trauma-informed, psychologically safe support while recognising when mental-health or sleep concerns require specialist escalation.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Recognise how trauma, life history and mental health can affect presentation.
✓ Apply trauma-informed principles without attempting diagnosis.
✓ Support non-pharmacological sleep routines and escalate concerning changes.

Workplace application: Review a case history and identify trauma-sensitive adjustments, sleep-support actions and escalation points.

📘 Module 8 — Behaviour as Communication and Functional Understanding

Learning focus: Understand behaviour as meaningful communication and contribute safely to structured functional understanding.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Identify possible unmet needs and contextual triggers.
✓ Collect accurate observational data as part of an agreed assessment process.
✓ Use evidence to contribute to a functional hypothesis without overstepping specialist roles.

Workplace application: Analyse a three-day observation record and draft a cautious, testable functional hypothesis.

📘 Module 9 — Positive Behaviour Support Foundations

Learning focus: Use Positive Behaviour Support principles to improve quality of life and reduce reliance on reactive responses.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Explain the relationship between functional understanding and a written Behaviour Support Plan.
✓ Distinguish proactive, preventive and reactive strategies.
✓ Design an alternative skill-teaching objective linked to an identified need.

Workplace application: Draft the proactive section of a Behaviour Support Plan for a scenario persona.

📘 Module 10 — Positive Risk, Safeguarding and Restrictive Practice

Learning focus: Balance autonomy and safety using positive risk-taking, safeguarding duties and restrictive-practice reduction.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Apply proportionate risk and safeguarding thinking.
✓ Recognise forms of restrictive practice.
✓ Identify actions needed to reduce, review and escalate restrictions.

Workplace application: Audit an environmental restriction and produce a step-down/review plan with escalation points.

📘 Module 11 — Mental Capacity, Consent and Supported Decision-Making

Learning focus: Apply the Mental Capacity Act 2005 principles through supported decision-making and correct escalation.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Apply the presumption of capacity and decision-specific approach.
✓ Identify practicable steps that support a person to make their own decision.
✓ Contribute appropriately to best-interests processes and recognise potential deprivation-of-liberty concerns.

Workplace application: Complete a practicable-steps checklist for a complex decision and prepare information for a formal review.

📘 Module 12 — Medicines, Psychotropic Reduction and Safe Support Boundaries

Learning focus: Support safe medicines practice while understanding psychotropic-reduction principles and strict non-clinical boundaries.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Recognise when psychotropic medicines used for behaviour require specialist review.
✓ Monitor and record effects, side effects and PRN use in accordance with the care plan.
✓ Escalate concerns without prescribing, stopping or changing medicines.

Workplace application: Audit a sample medicines record and draft an escalation note for an overdue or unclear specialist review.

📘 Module 13 — Relationships, Sexuality and Community Inclusion

Learning focus: Uphold rights to relationships, sexuality and community inclusion while maintaining safeguarding and consent boundaries.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Support personal and intimate relationships in a non-judgemental way.
✓ Plan active community inclusion around the person’s interests and needs.
✓ Identify when consent, capacity or safeguarding concerns require escalation.

Workplace application: Design a weekly inclusion plan that reflects interests, communication, sensory needs and chosen relationships.

📘 Module 14 — Families, Carers, Transitions and Multidisciplinary Working

Learning focus: Strengthen partnership with families and unpaid carers while coordinating safe transitions and multidisciplinary working.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Work in partnership with families/carers while respecting the person’s rights and confidentiality.
✓ Use developmental and support history appropriately during transition planning.
✓ Coordinate information and actions across the multidisciplinary team.

Workplace application: Prepare an MDT transition protocol for a move into supported living, including roles, information-sharing and review dates.

📘 Module 15 — Practice Leadership, Supervision and Service Improvement

Learning focus: Lead consistent, evidence-informed practice through supervision, post-incident learning and service improvement.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

✓ Role-model rights-based and person-centred practice.
✓ Facilitate structured post-incident debrief and staff support.
✓ Use audit and outcome information to identify service-improvement actions.

Workplace application: Design a monthly practice-review checklist and a post-incident debrief template.