Training & Workshops

This training session teaches basic information about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the science of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and why ABA-based autism treatments are the most effective and scientifically validated of all treatment options. You will see video demonstrations of how ABA applies to teach referencing and joint attention, speech, language, communication, play, socialization, fine motor skills, skills for independence (i.e. brushing teeth, sleep, eating), and academic readiness.

This training session teaches the importance of pairing preferred items and activities with the parent or interventionists to make the adult a “conditioned reinforcer”. This increases the likelihood of compliance with demands which leads to more efficient teaching/learning opportunities. Participants are also taught the importance of teaching the child to make requests for things the child wants. This is “manding” and participants are supported in understanding how manding can be accomplished through voice, sign or picture exchange and is an important component of teaching referencing and joint attention skills.

Two key, related skills that children normally acquire early in their development are social referencing and joint attention. These skills are thought to be especially important for children to efficiently learn from the people and events in their environment. Children on the autism spectrum usually show significant deficits in these areas, and so intervention to address these skill deficits is very important. This workshop will define and explain what social referencing and joint attention are, elaborate on their importance, and provide guidance, examples, and hands-on practice with how these skills are taught to children with autism using behaviour analytic methods within the context of a verbal behaviour program.

Participants are taught that in a Verbal Behaviour program, discrete trial teaching is called Intensive Teaching and it is the empirically proven technique known to teach specific skills and behaviours to children with autism spectrum disorders. It is important for participants to gain understanding of Intensive Teaching so they are able to facilitate generalization of the taught skills outside of therapy time.

This session shows participants that teaching can permeate every activity and that they can support their child’s learning by using activities in the child’s daily life to encourage the use of language targets and other skills taught explicitly. Each child has particular interests and motivation and participants are shown how to use the child’s motivation for some preferred activities and reinforcers to encourage learning and practice of referencing, communication, play and social skills.

This workshop teaches parents, Behaviour Interventionists (BIs), and school teams about the dynamics of problem behaviour, historical and contemporary approaches to intervention, the different functions of challenging behaviour(s), and how to develop support plans that are likely to be effective. Participants will enjoy a variety of video demonstrations and hands-on activities.

Is your child unusually anxious?

Does “over-shyness”, apprehension, or outright fear get in the way of your child’s
ability to be more independent and successful in everyday life?
Dr. Judy Reaven’s Facing Your Fears^TM program is a group therapy approach to
treating anxiety that has been demonstrated to be effective with children on
the autism spectrum. Taking proven therapeutic principles that have been shown
for decades to be effective in treating all manner of childhood anxiety problems,
Dr. Reaven’s program takes these powerful methods and adapts them specifically
for the learning needs of children on the autism spectrum. These same methods
would also be appropriate for all children suffering from social anxiety, and
specific phobias, with or without an autism diagnosis.

ABA Learning Centre is offering this program for children ages 7 to 11 years old who experience significant stress/anxiety difficulties. The program is primarily intended for children on the autism spectrum but isopen to all children in the target age range.

The program will run for 12 sessions. Note that at least one parent must attend each session with their child, and it must be the same parent throughout the sessions. The cost for this program is $1200 for all 12 sessions and will run on Wednesdays frm 4:30 - 6:30pm starting Wednesday March 14, 2012

This program is supervised by a registered psychologist (R. Psych) and board certified behavior analyst (BCBA). The program is eligible for autism funding as well as most extended health programs that cover sessions with a psychologist.

For more information or to registere your child in the Facing Your Fears Program, please contact Kristen Kringhaug at kristen@abacentre.ca or contact our
office at 604-232-4122.

Children are being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder as young as 18 months old. The traditional structure and focus of ABA based therapies needs to be modified to target the specific needs of this young population. This introductory workshop is designed for parents of recently diagnosed children with Autism who wish to learn more about Autism, identifying goals appropriate for this age group, and strategies on effective ways to interact with young toddlers with Autism. Examples of key components of a toddler program are referencing, eye contact, social references and developing a social relationship with the child.

Cost is $50 per family or $50 for per professional/paraprofessional.

To register, please contact Tricia Bailey at tricia@abacentre.ca or 604-232-4122

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders often have difficulty managing their reactions. This two night, hands-on workshop will teach you how to break down a problematic behaviour and develop a scale with your child that helps them visualize alternative, positive behaviours. We will use the ‘5-Point Scale’ developed by Buron & Curtis to help your child understand and learn to control his/her emotional responses to everyday events. These target anxiety, anger, aggression, voice volume and much more. The '5 –Point Scale' and associated story, acts as a visual support to cue the child about choosing alternative behaviours rather than losing control.

These techniques are appropriate for children who are learning about recognizing their emotions and have enough language to begin participating in identifying with the social story. Parents are encouraged to attend together and there is a cost benefit for parents who also bring the child’s school teacher or support aide.

Dates: TBA

Times: TBA

Costs: $100.00 for the two night workshop covers the cost of 1-2 parents and a school teacher or aide. Professionals attending without parents pay $100.00 each.

This workshop is designed to give families an introduction to optimal health and well being through food, environment, and physical health.

Here is what you will learn:

-The Building blocks for optimal nutrition

-The foods to enjoy and the foods to avoid

-Why and what to eat with seasonal and organic foods

-The power of role modeling

-Keys to successful meal planning and staying within a budget

-Autism and diet connection

-Recipes for success

-The importance of physical health

Cost is $20 per family. Please contact Tricia at tricia@abacentre.ca or 604-232-4122 to register.

Free parent information night!

You are invited to attend this informative evening to learn
about the core deficiencies of autism and to gain understanding about the
interventions which have empirical evidence of effectiveness as well as those
which are promising or have been shown to not be effective. Learn the current
research about a range of interventions being offered in the province
including: language, motor/sensory, social-pragmatic developmental, alternative
therapies, bio-medical and applied behaviour analysis approaches. You will
receive a hand-out with references so you can continue your pursuit of
knowledge and make informed decisions about your choices for intervention for
your child.

Please phone Tricia to let you know you plan to attend:
604-232-4122