The Bamboozle Approach for Autism – Online Training Series

Bamboozle are excited to announce a new series of live online courses that share the key elements of our methodology which have been developed by Bamboozle practitioners over the past 30 years of working with learning disabled children and young people.

Our work is often described as ‘magic’. But it isn’t. It is the rigorous application of our beliefs, principles and strategies. These can be taught. We share our Approach with parents, carers, teachers and theatre practitioners in the UK and across the world.

We are passionate about sharing our Approach with practitioners and educators as this enables more and more disabled children to experience the highest quality theatre and creative education practice as well as explore their capacity to interact meaningfully with the world around them.

The second course in this series is The Bamboozle Approach for Autism Online course running from 24th February – 17th March 2025.

These 90 minute sessions are delivered live via Teams and will give you the opportunity to watch techniques in practice and to spend time in discussion with some of Bamboozle’s most experienced practitioners. We’ll share what we’ve learnt by delivering long-term culture-change projects in the autism learning environment in schools and in our outdoor work with families.

This course is particularly suitable for teaching staff and practitioners who work with autistic young people.

This four part course includes:

Session one:  The Bamboozle Approach,

• An introduction to the Bamboozle Approach
• Creating an Enabled Space for children and young people on the autism spectrum
• A practical demonstration of how putting a group at ease enables its members to engage
• Praise – a discussion about the effects of praise and alternative ways to give value
• Discussion and Q&A

Session two: Free exploration

• How exploratory play builds trust, reduces anxiety and provides child-centred opportunities for expression and learning
• How child-initiated engagement and interaction can be developed – key behavioural and linguistic strategies
• Adapting free exploration into more structured learning – using narrative to diversify children’s exploration and experiences
• Discussion and Q&A

Session three:  The Wildings – A case study of the Bamboozle Approach used outdoors.

• The added value of being in nature – The natural health service
• Renewing/ rewilding exercises for relaxation and wellbeing
• How the The Wildings experience has impacted the families and artists
• The importance of play. Being curious, being present, accepting uniqueness with active interest and the invitation to lead
• Creating a character – how they are in the space, how to co-create stories by releasing the mantle of the expert – how they create an enabled space.
• Creative activities we have used and that you can easily set up for your young people.
• Discussion and Q&A

Session four:  Advanced communication techniques and trouble shooting

• Advanced techniques for building connections with children and young people who might be described as being hard-to-reach
• Strategies for working with behaviour that challenges us
• The Art of Being. The impact that how we are in the room has on the children and young people
• Verbal and non-verbal ways of reducing anxiety and stress
• Working with children’s energy – techniques for matching and leading
• Discussion of situations you have experienced and Q&A