Providing teachers with accurate information and effective practical strategies is important to improve outcomes for children on the autism spectrum and their families. However, limited training opportunities are currently available across Europe in that respect. The ETTECEC project therefore provides online training to preschool teachers so that they can better meet the needs of autistic children in inclusive schools.
The ETTECEC partnership brings together academics and professionals from various education centers and autism organisations across Europe. Those involved come from various backgrounds – both national and cultural – and have a wide set of skills. The project coordinator, Asociación Mi Hijo y Yo from Spain will work closely with all the other partners: Svetovalnica za avtizem and the Educational Research Institute (Pedagoški inštitut) from Slovenia, the Fakultní mateřská škola Sluníčko pod střechou při Pedf UK (Mateřská škola) and Schola Empirica from the Czech Republic and Autism-Europe from Belgium.
The ETTECEC online training
ETTECEC has developed and implemented an innovative pedagogical approach based on the inclusion paradigm of education. It is addressed to preschool teachers who want to develop their skills to respond to the needs of children on the autism spectrum. The training can also be useful for teachers who work with children above the age of 6. The course includes different modules, all of them based on specific situations that could happen in the classroom:
- Module 1- What is autism?
- Module 2- What to observe?
- Module 3- Strategies to implement as a teacher
The ETTECEC project aims at improving the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) systems of the partner regions, making them inclusive, and allowing children on the autism spectrum to be better prepared to enter the rest of the education system.
ETTECEC fundamental philosophy could also make it equally relevant to other stages of education where it could be successfully applied (although considering the different needs and characteristics of the learners). The online course includes different modules based on specific situations that can happen in the classroom.
To access the ETTECEC online training, visit the project Moodle platform by clicking here and register for free. Once you have created an account, the course is freely available in English, French, Spanish, Slovenian and Czech.
Impact of the ETTECEC project
Since 2017, over 20 teachers from ten schools in Slovenia, Czech Republic, and Spain have been trained in relation to autism needs and in turn 270 children have directly benefited from inclusive education methods.
In the last months of 2019, hundreds of professionals, relatives, decision-makers, journalists, autism experts and other interested parties attended the four ETTECEC multiplier events held in Ljubljana, Las Palmas, Prague and Brussels, aiming at raising awareness about the importance of education in autism for preschool teachers and sharing the work and expertise of the project partners to a wider audience.
Before each of these events, project partners had meetings with national, regional and local key stakeholders (such as representatives of the government, the municipality, NGOs, universities, institutions for education and/or disabilities etc.), to discuss about the importance of sustaining the legacy of the ETTECEC training after the project’s completion.
About the Erasmus+ Programme
Erasmus+ is the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion will provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain experience, and volunteer abroad.