Online courses to understand autism and autistic spectrum

Hi, Umbreen. Welcome to the forum. 

The National Autistic Society's website would be the best place to start in order to get a basic understanding of autism. Purple Ella (YouTube) also does some fantastic videos that have really helped me with my own understanding of autism (as an autistic adult!). She's an autistic adult and the parent of autistic children, and I know she's been involved in work with the National Autistic Society before, so she has great experience to draw from.

If you really want to dig deep into autism, I noticed today that the Open University runs a free course about autism on its OpenLearn site. I don't know how good/detailed the content is, but it might be worth a look. I'd imagine it's quite reliable considering they're a well-respected university.

When you say your son's having meltdowns, can you identify any particular triggers (e.g. do they happen when he's had a stressful day at school, been in a busy environment like a shopping centre, had a change of routine etc.)? Meltdowns aren't always preventable, but if you/he can identify some triggers, you might be able to find some ways to make his day less stressful. It's important to take time to rest and recover after a meltdown too, so perhaps you could explore some relaxing activities (like reading, drawing or playing/listening to music) that could help him feel calmer after the meltdown's passed.

The free OU course is now a bit dated, and would probably do little to captivate a challenged 15 year old. Those NAS Youtubes would almost certainly be a much better start.

Thanks for the heads-up - disappointing that their material isn't up-to-date!

Ah probably. It's a shame really - could be a bit disheartening if a younger person stumbles across it.

Ah probably. It's a shame really - could be a bit disheartening if a younger person stumbles across it.