A new e-learning course aimed at raising awareness of the little-known condition Fragile X Syndrome among professionals has been launched within the UK.
The online tool has been developed by the Fragile X Society in conjunction with social care charity Cornerstone and is designed to help professionals to better support individuals and families affected by the condition. The e-course was developed following the appointment just over a year ago of a Scottish Family Support Worker, Scotland’s first dedicated support worker for families affected by Fragile X Syndrome. This post was created in November 2012, following the announcement of a £25,000 award by Michael Matheson, Scottish Minister for Public Health, as part of the Scottish Strategy for Autism: Autism Development Fund for 2012-13.
Fragile X Syndrome is the most common cause of inherited learning disability. It can cause a wide range of learning, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties alongside problems with language and maintenance of attention. Despite being the most common cause of inherited learning disability, Fragile X is actually a rare condition and is not widely recognised, with just one in 4,000 males affected and one in 6,000 females affected.
The design of this new course has taken several months, and has been done very much in conjunction with Cornerstone’s Learning and Development team. The aim is that it will become an invaluable tool for professionals working with people with learning difficulties, and it has three main objectives – to provide information about Fragile X Syndrome to the relevant professionals, to give them the ability to recognise its characteristics and to help Identify ways to support individuals with the syndrome.
For further information or to purchase the course please contact Sandra Thoms, Family Support Worker, Scotland on 07825050072 or email at sandra@fragilex.org.uk
