Learning Paths

Learning Paths

Ready to grow your skills and make a meaningful impact for your students with autism? Learning Paths are your starting point to build expertise in autism topics tailored to your professional development goals. Start your journey today and build more inclusive, effective learning environments-one step at a time!

Learning Paths are grounded in evidence-based practices (EBPs) to guide educators through a systematic learning process:

  1. Determine and Identify the assessment needs of students related to the EBP.
  2. Plan and Develop tailored interventions based on these assessments.
  3. Implement and Monitor the interventions to ensure they are effectively addressing student needs.
  4. Evaluate the effectiveness of the EBP to make necessary adjustments and improvements

Choose Your Learning Path

A women infront of laptop

Concrete cues represented visually through words, pictures, icons, objects, or even colors that can be paired with or used in place of verbal cues. Visuals provide information about physical boundaries, activities, routines, or expectations, and support skill demonstration.

Start Visual Supports
A teacher is helping a kid to write

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) refers to all the ways people communicate, in addition to or in place of speech. The use of AAC is a research-supported EBP known to be effective in improving communication abilities for individuals with significant speech impairment.

Start Communication
A group of adults in a room

These are essential communication abilities that allow us to make effective decisions about how to interact and communicate effectively in different situations. While many learn these unspoken social rules naturally, autistic people may find navigating social nuances more challenging.

Start Social Skills

To learn more, take advantage of these additional VCU-ACE offerings:

  • Training- Enhance your ability to support students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through ACE training. Our training provides essential knowledge and actionable strategies designed to empower educators, families, and professionals. Choose from a menu of learning opportunities designed to meet various learning preferences, schedules, and roles. With options of varying lengths and intensities, you can select the training that best fits your needs.
  • Resources - Quickly access a comprehensive range of information, websites, and tools to deepen your knowledge and help you support individuals with ASD. Resources are organized by resource type, such as factsheets, tools, journal articles, or by topic.
  • Connect - The best way to know about upcoming events and new resources from ACE is to