You may have heard through the grapevine that there are two classes currently being offered by the Training Department that are required for Direct Support Professionals. And of course, if you are a DSP, you will know this is true! I’m sure you have seen the names  “Autism and Anxiety” and “Breaking Down Communications Barriers” pop up on your Relias and maybe you are wondering what these classes are and how you can take them. The good news is, they are being offered at least once a month at Latham Building 1, and our team of trainers can work with entire teams to bring the training right to you! 

    Autism and Anxiety focuses on the comorbidity between these two diagnoses and how we as staff can best support the people that deal with both. This course does a fantastic job of breaking down Autism Spectrum Disorder  and the daily impact it has on people. It also gives you tools to utilize in your everyday work to better relate to and understand how anxiety plays alongside an ASD diagnosis and the challenges that people may experience.

    Breaking Down Communication Barriers focuses on what communication is and how we can best adapt to overcome barriers. This is an immersive class that attempts to give insight into the lives of those that struggle with communication and give you tools to bring to work everyday to improve the quality of life of everyone you work with. 

    Now, many of you have already had the chance to join us for Autism and Anxiety and Breaking Down Communications Barriers, so you already know how impactful and useful these training sessions are. However, did you know that these classes are open to EVERYONE! Whether you work at the school, work periodically as a per diem employee, or spend most of your time at the office, you could benefit from taking these courses! They have been designed to center the people we work with on a daily basis and give us the skills and knowledge to build stronger relationships and better understanding. Make sure you check out the 2022 Training Roster under the DSP Bootcamp Classes tab to see upcoming sessions and sign up by emailing training@wildwoodprograms.org. We all can’t wait to see you there!