What is Systematic Instruction Training?
Training in Systematic Instruction (TSI) is a way to teach people who find traditional learning difficult, including people with learning disabilities and autism. The TSI course teaches staff the skills needed to help people learn in ways that work best for them.
Jess, who works in our Learning Disability Day Services, went on a training course that teaches support staff the skills they need to support people with learning disabilities and autism in a way that is right for them. She tells us what she's learnt and how the training will help her in her role.
What were you expecting from the training before it started?
I was expecting to learn some new way to help people we support when they’re learning something new or building on skills they already have.
What did you hope it would help you achieve in your job?
I hoped it would help me communicate better with people we support so I can help them become more independent.
What do you find difficult about your job that you hoped this training would support you with?
I sometimes find communicating hard, both with people we support and with colleagues. I hoped the training would help me communicate more effectively when enabling people we support to build everyday skills.
Do you think the training will help you to do what you expected?
Yes, I think it will. It gave me practical ways to teach skills and communicate more effectively, which will ensure people I support have the best chance at reaching their goals. We were also given paperwork with straightforward and detailed data recording, which helped the trainer spot and make any adjustments needed.
What was the highlight of the training for you?
The best part was putting into practice the approaches we'd been learning by working with a group of people we support.
Did anything about the training surprise you?
Something that surprised me was how difficult it was to break tasks down into simple steps. It's easy to miss steps when you're used to doing something without thinking about it, instead of considering it through the lens of life experience.
What did you think about the people we support being involved in the training?
Having people we support involved made me feel more confident that the training could be transitioned from theory to practice. Their help allowed us to try things out and get feedback before using them with people we support.
Click here to read what others thought about the training.
