Florida State University offers an online curriculum for a Professional Certification in The Fundamentals of Neurodiversity. The curriculum was developed by the Clearinghouse on Trauma & Resilience within the Institute for Family Violence Studies in the College of Social Work. This course provides a rigorous curriculum to inform multidisciplinary professionals and policymakers about individual and systemic factors impacting resilience and well-being through the lens of Neurodiversity.

This course provides a comprehensive foundation of knowledge of neurodiversity and practical approaches to supporting neurodivergent individuals of all ages. It builds participants’ knowledge and skills to be able to understand the needs of neurodivergent people and adapt crucial processes and systems for them to thrive.

This online, self-paced curriculum includes ten hours of course content and five chapters of evidence-based readings, case scenarios, multimedia materials, assignments, and quizzes. Participants can access the course materials for one calendar year from the time they receive their log-in credentials.

Click the video below to learn more

The benefits of this certification include:

  • Developing a powerful new perspective on neurodivergence
  • Gaining a transformative understanding of the needs, barriers, and strengths of neurodivergent individuals
  • Discovering new ways to help support and build resilience in neurodivergent individuals
  • Acquiring increased awareness of accommodation, communication, and sensory needs
  • Promoting a multidisciplinary approach to neuro-inclusion
  • Growing confidence in your ability to enhance your agency/teams’ effectiveness
  • Enhancing professional knowledge, skills, and career potential

Advisory Team

The research team at the Institute for Family Violence Studies appreciates
the expertise of our Advisory Review Board Members for Fundamentals of Neurodiversity:

James Clark, Ph.D., LCSW
Provost
Florida State University

Craig Stanley III, Ph.D.
Interim Dean
FSU College of Social Work

Kristy Anderson, MSW, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Autism Researcher
FSU College of Social Work

Amber Farrington, Ph.D., PCIT, PEERS
Director, Mental Health Services
Licensed Psychologist
FSU Multidisciplinary Evaluation & Consulting Center (MDC)
FSU College of Social Work

Allison Leatzow, BS
Autism Consultant
FSU Center for Autism & Related Disorders (CARD)
Autism Institute, FSU College of Medicine

Juliann J. Woods, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Founder and Emeritus Director
The Communication & Early Childhood Research & Practice Center (CEC-RAP)
FSU College of Communication & Information

This Professional Certification was created by the Institute for Family Violence Studies

Karen Oehme, J.D., Director
Ann Perko, J.D., Director of Research Dissemination
Lyndi Bradley, MSW, Program Manager
Merina Cameron, MSW, Training Specialist
Xyla Payne, Graduate Assistant

Continuing Education

Note: The number of CEUs may differ depending on the profession and approval agency as described below.

Participants must report their certificate to their licensure board to receive credit. We do not report to the licensure boards.

Big Bend AHEC CEU Information

Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling
Course Name: “Professional Certification in The Fundamentals of Neurodiversity for Multidisciplinary Professionals”
Continuing Education Unit (CEU) programs are planned in accordance with meeting the criteria set forth and approved for licensure renewal as outlined in the Florida Statutes and by Chapter 491 Licensure Board. This workshop is approved for and offers 10 contact hours for Social Work.
Participants outside of Florida must self-report to their own licensing board to determine credit awarded.

Florida Board of Nursing
Course Name: “Professional Certification in The Fundamentals of Neurodiversity for Multidisciplinary Professionals”
Continuing Education Unit (CEU) programs are planned in accordance with meeting the criteria set forth and approved for licensure renewal as outlined in the Florida Statutes and by Chapter 464 Licensure Board. This workshop is approved for and offers 10 contact hours for Nursing.
Participants outside of Florida must self-report to their own licensing board to determine credit awarded.

Florida Board of Respiratory Care
Course Name: “Professional Certification in Trauma & Resilience: Level One”
Continuing Education Unit (CEU) programs are planned in accordance with meeting the criteria set forth and approved for licensure renewal as outlined in the Florida Statutes and by Chapter 468 Licensure Board. This workshop is approved for and offers 10 contact hours for Respiratory Therapy.
Participants outside of Florida must self-report to their own licensing board to determine credit awarded.

Florida Board of Dentistry
Course Name: “Professional Certification in The Fundamentals of Neurodiversity for Multidisciplinary Professionals”
Continuing Education Unit (CEU) programs are planned in accordance with meeting the criteria set forth and approved for licensure renewal as outlined in the Florida Statutes and by Chapter 466 Licensure Board. This workshop is approved for and offers 10 contact hours for Dentistry.
Participants must self-report to their own licensing board to determine credit awarded.

Continuing Legal Education Credits

Florida Lawyers

  • Continuing Legal Education credit has been approved as follows:
  • CLE Credits
    – General: 12
    – Professionalism: 1.0
    – Mental Health & Wellness: 3.5
    – Ethics: 1.0

  • Florida Bar members can report their CLE credit online through the Member Portal. The course number required to report credits is provided upon successful completion of the training.
Continuing Judicial Education Credits

Judges

  • The Office of the State Courts Administrator of the Florida Supreme Court has approved a total of ten (10) Continuing Judicial Education (CJE) units, of which four (4) are Ethics, to judges and magistrates in Florida.

Participants outside of Florida must self-report to their own licensing board to determine credit awarded.

About Our Program

1. Cost

How much does the training cost?
The training is currently $299 per person.

Is the registration fee different for non-Florida residents?
No. Participants are charged the same course fee regardless of where they reside.

Do you offer discounts to non-profits?
The vast majority of our participants come from non-profit organizations. As such, we did everything in our power to keep the cost of the training as low as possible. So, while we do not offer discounts to non-profits specifically, we currently offer a 10% discount to the following populations:

  1. Active and inactive U.S. Military
  2. FSU Alumni
  3. FSU Students, Faculty, & Staff

How do I obtain the discount?
You need a promo code that you MUST enter during you registration process. This cannot be applied retroactively. To obtain the promo code you must supply the following information for each population (email to ccarballo@fsu.edu):

  1. Active and inactive U.S. Military
    • Send an email from your .mil account, OR
    • Scan and email your military orders, OR
    • Scan and email you military ID
  2. FSU Alumni
    • Full name as it was when you attended FSU, and
    • Date of Birth, and
    • Graduation Year
  3. FSU Students, Faculty, & Staff
    • Full name as is found in the Faculty/Staff database

Can I use my State Tuition Waiver?
State Employee Tuition Waivers are restricted to credit courses. This course is non-credit, professional development and therefore does not apply for the tuition waiver.

Do you offer group discounts?
Group discounts are available to associations, agencies, and organizations who are registering multiple participants. Please email us at resilience@capd.fsu.edu to discuss.

2. Course Format

How is the training structured?
Our training is fully online and is self-paced. It includes 10 hours of course content and five chapters of research-based readings, case scenarios, multi-media materials, assignments, and quizzes.

How does the online course work?

  • The course is made up of 5 Chapters which you must work through by completing assignments and passing each chapter quiz with at least 80% before the next chapter is released.
  • You will be able to retake each quiz until you achieve a passing score.
  • Upon successful completion of all 5 chapters, the final exam will be released and you will need to score at least an 80% to pass it.
  • Once you have passed the Final Exam and completed a Feedback survey, the certification will be released.

How long is the training?
We estimate that it will take you 10 hours to complete the training.

Is there a time frame from me to complete the training?
After you register, the training will be open to you for one year (calendar year). Even if you complete the course in a short period of time, the course materials will remain open to you for the entire year.

3. Registration

Who can register for this training?
The training non-credit, professional development and is therefore open to the public. Participants do not need to apply to the University, rather they simply have to register and submit their payment.

Who should register for this training?
The curriculum enables professionals to develop knowledge and skills to improve service delivery in a wide variety of human services..

Education Requirements
While there are no special degree requirements to participate in this training, please note that the level of instruction is that of an upper-division college course.

How do I register for this training?

4. Where do I Take the Training and When Does it Start?

When are the courses offered?
Registration for the course is rolling and the curriculum is self-paced and fully online. This means participants may begin at any time – after registration and payment has been received.

PLEASE NOTE: Access to this course is on another website. Your login information and the link to the course will be sent to you within 24 hours of your payment being submitted during regular business hours M-F; 8am – 5pm. If you submit your payment on Friday or on the weekend, your login information will be sent to you that following Monday.

Where do I access the course?
The training portal is accessed at https://courses.learningforlife.fsu.edu. This is NOT the same place participants registered. Participants will be able to access and start the training once payment has been submitted and processed and login credentials have been provided.

To obtain Discount Codes, please reach out to Catia Carballo using the contact form at the bottom of this webpage. Discount codes MUST be entered in the Promo Code field during the registration process and cannot be applied after the registration is submitted. Before submitting your registration, please verify that your total amount due reflects your discount.

We currently offer discounts to the following populations:

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All active/inactive U.S. Military – 10% Must supply:

  • Send an email from your .mil account, OR
  • Scan and email your military orders, OR
  • Scan and email you military ID

FSU Alumni – 10% Must supply:

  • Full name as it was when you attended FSU, and
  • Date of Birth, and
  • Graduation Year

FSU Students – 10% Must supply:

  • Full name and
  • Date of Birth

FSU Faculty & Staff – 10% Must supply:

  • Full name as is found in the Faculty/Staff database

Group Discounts also Available

  • Reach out to Catia Carballo using the contact form at the bottom of this webpage .

*Discounts are not cumulative. Only one discount can be used per student.

Minimum Hardware Requirements
A functional laptop or desktop computer, tablet or smartphone with a reliable high-speed Internet connection.

Minimum Skills Requirements
Basic computer literacy including the ability to connect to the Internet and navigate the web using URLs, Web search engines and links.

Minimum Time Requirements
The estimated time to complete this certification is 20 hours.

Please note that there are NO REFUNDS. So, be sure that you can take the course before inputting your payment information.
 

For More Information:

Course Content Support:
Lyndi Bradley, FSU COSW Institute for Family Violence Studies
lbradley2@fsu.edu
(850) 644-1715

Registration Assistance:
Catia Carballo, Center for Academic & Professional Development
Please use the contact form below.

For Questions about the Professional Certification in The Fundamentals of Neurodiversity

Price:

$299

Group Rates Available

For more information, please contact the Institute for Family Violence Studies at
IFVS-Pathways@fsu.edu – 850-645-0024

Please Note:
Access to the course is not immediate upon payment and is in a different location than where you registered. Course access information and log in credentials will be emailed to you.
“I have found myself thinking about and applying knowledge learned from this class on a daily basis. This course has not only helped me to develop specific skills and support tools, it has strengthened my sense of empathy and understanding. Highly beneficial for all professionals, but particularly those that are tasked with supporting/supervising staff and/or providing accommodations..”
- Melissa Huekels, M.A.E.

TRIO SSS Program Director, University of Dubuque, IA

“This course reframed neurodiversity for me so that I see exciting opportunities where I used to see daunting problems. I am confident that this will make me a better teacher across the board. It also helped me to perceive my own neurodivergence, as well as how it has made some parts on my life more difficult, but given me unique strengths. These strengths have, in fact, been crucial for my success thus far”
- John Turner

Associate Professor of Music, High Point University, NC

“Though you could never attempt to highlight every single neurodivergent diagnosis, this course highlights the overall main themes: how neurodiversity impacts ways in which people interact socially, how they learn, express themselves, and process information. Each chapter builds on the previous, starting with basic definitions from respected sources. As someone who is a chaplain in healthcare, learning definitions and things to be mindful of and sensitive to was extremely helpful to me. As someone who is also neurodivergent myself, I appreciate that there is a someone out there who is willing to do the research and help others who help folks like me.”
- Chaplain Matthew Schlageter

Staff Chaplain, Levine Children's Hospital, Charlotte, NC

“This course really expands upon all things neurodiversity. Working in Higher Education, I believe being more knowledgeable and familiar about this topic is crucial in supporting the next generation of college students. Loved all of it and all the resources within for future use.”
- Katie Campbell, M.Ed.

Community Director, Department of Residence Life , Texas A&M University

“Honestly, I loved the course. The videos were excellent, the information was worded simplistically, and the graphics and interactive activities were perfect—not too stimulating, not too difficult, and not too easy. I highly recommend to begin or increase your understanding of neurodivergence.”
- Melissa D. Rees, MS

Department Chairperson, Education and Child Development, Pitt Community College, Winterville, North Carolina

“Great amount of detail, especially the way you broke down the differences in approaches for each neurodivergent type. So often neurodivergence is addressed as a singular entity. Also, wonderful handouts.”
Jennifer K. Holtz, PhD

Director and Professor School of Counseling, Human Performance and Rehabilitation, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

“This course does a great job covering a lot of foundational material that I know will be valuable to new members of our team and our community.”
- Marissa Schuh, MPH

Tourette Association of America, Lexington, KY

“I LOVE this course! It was very interactive and appropriately broken up into sections which varies the format. This helped me stay involved and interested in the content and helped me pace my attention.”
- Ines Barret

Occupational Therapist, Howard County Public Schools, Maryland

“I liked the structure and the embedded questions and activities because they allowed me to test my knowledge frequently. The generated PDFs were nice, too, because they condensed a lot of information and honed in on the most important stuff.”
- Mackenzie Strobing

Academic Success Coach, Eckerd College, FL