Training

ABA Learning Centre provides training opportunities for parents, therapists and professional educators from both public and private sectors.

Upcoming ABALC Workshops

NAVIGATING THE MAZE OF AUTISM INTERVENTION - FREE!

OCTOBER 20th, 2010 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm: NAVIGATING THE MAZE OF AUTISM INTERVENTION. This FREE workshop is for “newly diagnosed” families or families ready to learn more about interventions for children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Presenter: Dr. Suzanne Jacobsen

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 her know you plan to attend: 604-232-4122

• ABA Learning Centre's Workshop series (listed below) will be Thursday nights from 6:00pm-9:00pm:

> September 9, 2010 - Introduction to ABA: 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.

> September 16, 2010 - Referencing & Joint Attention in a VB Program, Pairing and Manding: 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.

> September 23, 2010 - Intensive Teaching: 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.

> September 30, 2010 - Natural Environment Teaching: 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.

> October 7, 2010 - Dealing With Problem Behaviour: 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.

For more information on upcoming Autism Community Training (ACT) Workshops visit http://www.actcommunity.net/workshops_and_training/workshops/upcoming-events.html

ABALC Workshop Registration