Parent & Caregiver Education

Does your child struggle when faced with unexpected events or changes to the routine? Do they insist on having things a certain way or have trouble shifting their point of view? Rigid thinking and behaviours are common and may be tied to anxiety. In this session, we’ll talk about some common issues around rigidity, ways to support your child in these moments, and strategies to help promote flexibility in thinking and behaviour.

Date: December 30, 2024 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Parents and caregivers of children and youth with autism may experience challenges with their child’s school placement, helping school staff understand their child’s needs, and understanding the services and supports your school board may offer. Seeing your child struggle with accessing curriculum or thriving in either virtual or in-school placements can be difficult.

Come and chat with one of Kinark’s School Consultants! Each session allows for an interactive experience for parents and caregivers to bring your questions about the school system and receive support from a School Consultant. You will also learn about other experiences from parents and caregivers, how to effectively advocate for your child, school policies and practices, individualized education plans (IEPs) and effective collaboration, as well as other valuable tips and tools for navigating and interacting with the school system.

Date: January 6, 2025 from 12 to 1 p.m.

This fourth session in the School Series focuses on bringing together the information of the previous three sessions on school policies and procedures to help you to effectively advocate for your child and collaborate with your child’s school team.

This session will provide you with information on what it means to be an advocate for your child and effective ways to advocate. It also provides information on why it is important to collaborate with your child’s school team and ways to enhance collaboration. There will be an opportunity to discuss challenges you may face when working with your child’s school team and tips, tricks, and resources to overcome these challenges.

Date: January 8, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Life is made up of meaningful everyday activities or “occupations,” such as walking the dog, brushing our teeth, preparing a meal, painting, doing the laundry and playing games. Occupations are a significant part of life for children with ASD and their families; they describe who we are and how we feel about ourselves.

As Kinark Autism Services introduces Occupational Therapy (OT) services, come to this workshop, and meet our new OT! The goal of this session is to introduce the role of Occupational Therapy and the unique perspective that Occupational Therapy can provide to children and families with autism.

Date: January 10, 2025 from 10 to 11 a.m.

Toilet training can be a challenge for anyone! This session will cover what you need to know prior to starting toilet training for your child and set you up to be successful. This workshop will discuss key prerequisite skills and important considerations before starting a toilet training program. As well, you will learn how to decide when to move onto the next step of toilet training. You will learn various strategies and tools that can be used to help your child meet toileting goals including communicating their need to use the toilet.

We will provide you with the information you need to create an individualized toilet training plan for your child to be successful.

Date: January 14, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Puberty is a normal part of life that everyone goes through, but it can bring up a lot of mixed emotions for both parents and pre-teens. Without preparation, it can be confusing and stressful. As your child’s body goes through changes, understanding what’s happening can help you feel more confident in supporting them. In this session, we’ll cover topics like privacy, sexuality, and consent. We’ll also talk about puberty, including self-care, masturbation, and more.

We’ll explore how you can use Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) strategies to encourage independence and help your child apply these skills in different situations. As a parent or caregiver, it’s key to help your tween/teen with special needs take charge of their health, navigate their sexuality, and get ready for the changes that come with puberty. We’re here to give you the information and tools to support both you and your child during this important stage of growth and development.

Date: January 16, 2025 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Bullying is pervasive in Canadian schools and communities. Unfortunately, research indicates that children with autism are at a much greater risk of being bullied than their typically developing peers. This workshop engages parents of children with autism who may be concerned about their children being bullied or perpetuating bullying in the presence of their peers.

Content in this workshop is carefully curated to define the common types of bullying, identify a variety of roles that children may play in the context of bullying, and discuss its prevalence. A significant emphasis will be placed on teaching concrete, actionable strategies for parents of children with autism across all stages of childhood (pre-school children, school-age children, and adolescents) to ensure that you are equipped to prevent and address bullying. Moreover, considering that children may routinely socialize with their peers using technology and social media, additional strategies are provided to prevent and address cyberbullying.

Date: January 21, 2025 from 11a.m. to 1 p.m.

To access Core Clinical services through the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) a Determination of Needs (DoN) will be completed with primary caregivers to determine funding amounts.

This session will provide an overview of the DoN. You will learn about the overall process, and have a better understanding of how to prepare, what to expect, and next steps. At the end of the session there is time allotted to answer additional questions you may have.

Date: January 24, 2025 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Reinforcement is a natural process involved in learning virtually all new skills. As parents, reinforcement can be one of the most powerful tools we use to support specific goals with our children. In this education session, you will learn how to use reinforcement to teach your child new skills, increase their motivation, expand their interests, and strengthen your relationship with your child. And the good news is, children don’t have to be reliant on planned reinforcers (special rewards) for all this to be possible.

This session will also discuss how to teach our children to eventually work for naturally occurring reinforcement.

Date: January 28, 2025 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Interested in enrolling your child in a social skills group, school, or community program? Wondering how you can help them be successful in group settings? Wondering how skills are taught in groups and what skills can be learned?

Meet and chat with one of our group facilitators to learn more!

Date: January 29, 2025 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Parents and caregivers of children and youth with autism may experience challenges with their child’s school placement, helping school staff understand their child’s needs, and understanding the services and supports your school board may offer. Seeing your child struggle with accessing curriculum or thriving in either virtual or in-school placements can be difficult.

Come and chat with one of Kinark’s School Consultants! Each session allows for an interactive experience for parents and caregivers to bring your questions about the school system and receive support from a School Consultant. You will also learn about other experiences from parents and caregivers, how to effectively advocate for your child, school policies and practices, individualized education plans (IEPs) and effective collaboration, as well as other valuable tips and tools for navigating and interacting with the school system.

Date: February 3, 2025 from 12 to 1 p.m.

We all know how challenging a picky eater can be, but did you know there are Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) strategies that can help? You will become more familiar with the importance of good eating habits, issues common to picky eaters, and factors that may influence them, how to increase healthy eating routines, and ways to track how your child’s eating habits are changing. Additional resources on creating and managing a healthier lifestyle will be provided.

Date: February 6, 2025 from 12 to 2:30 p.m.

This workshop will empower you with a deeper understanding of modern approaches to Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) that respect and celebrate neurodiversity. Gain insights into the diverse experiences of individuals with autism, appreciating the unique strengths and challenges they bring. Explore how today’s ABA practices prioritize the needs and values of both the client and their family, promoting a collaborative and inclusive approach. Discover how contemporary ABA methodologies align with neurodiversity-affirming philosophies to support and enhance the well-being of neurodiverse individuals.

This session is designed to equip parents with the knowledge and tools to support their child’s unique journey through evidence-based, compassionate, and inclusive ABA.

Date: February 11, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Parents and caregivers of children and youth with autism may experience challenges with their child’s school placement, helping school staff understand their child’s needs, and understanding the services and supports your school board may offer. Seeing your child struggle with accessing curriculum or thriving in either virtual or in-school placements can be difficult. Come and chat with one of Kinark’s School Consultants!

Each session allows for an interactive experience for parents and caregivers to bring your questions about the school system and receive support from a School Consultant. You will also learn about other experiences from parents and caregivers, how to effectively advocate for your child, school policies and practices, individualized education plans (IEPs) and effective collaboration, as well as other valuable tips and tools for navigating and interacting with the school system. This session will primarily focus on providing strategies and methods for effective advocacy.

Date: February 13, 2025 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Parents and caregivers of children and youth with autism may experience challenges navigating all the available supports and services for their child. Come and chat with a Registered Behaviour Analyst (RBA) to learn more about treatment areas and scope of practice within the field of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).

This session allows for an interactive experience where parents and caregivers can ask questions related to ABA and how it can help support your child. Topics covered may include treatment focus, differences between ABA and other therapies such as speech therapy and occupational therapy, and how to look for a quality ABA service provider.

Date: February 19, 2025 from 12 to 1 p.m.

When we enroll our children in social skill groups, school, and various community programs, we want to ensure they have the pre-requisite skills they need in order to be able to learn in these environments. We want them to benefit from what is being taught and these experiences. There are so many skills that a child needs to possess before learning can take place in a group setting. These are skills that are not always explicitly taught and they differ from those of a 1:1 setting.

In this session we talk about those pre-requisite readiness skills, what they are, why they are important and how you can work on teaching these skills at home. We talk about listening and following directions, tolerating transitions, imitation, joining in, group demands and more!

Date: February 21, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Behaviour Series is made up of three workshops where parents and caregivers can learn ways to support their child before, during and after displaying challenging behaviour.

The first session, Before Behaviour, focuses on setting your child up for success by sharing ways you can prepare you child before potentially challenging situations to help limit challenging behaviour. This workshop provides a variety of practical strategies that may prevent challenging behaviour before an escalation occurs.

Session two, During Behaviour, focuses on helping your child find their calm and shares what you can do during an episode of challenging behaviour to support your child who is experiencing strong and uncomfortable emotions. This workshop provides a variety of practical strategies that may help parents and caregivers stay in a space where they can effectively support their child who is having difficulty returning to a calm state.

The final session, After Behaviour, focuses on the things that parents can do after challenging behaviour occurs. This workshop provides a variety of practical strategies that may reduce the likelihood of challenging behaviour re-occurring in the future after an escalation has calmed.

Date: February 5, 12, 19 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Note: Parents register for all sessions as a whole

Sleep concerns can be common in children with autism and many parents struggle with how to address them. You are not in this alone! We are here to support you with ways to develop a healthy sleep routine.

In this workshop you will learn ways to track your child’s sleeping behaviours, identify and troubleshoot potential problems with your child’s current sleep routine, establish and introduce a new sleep routine for your child, and discuss some strategies based on Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) that aim to promote better sleeping behaviours for your child.

Date: March 1, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Have you ever found yourself frustrated when your child just isn’t learning a skill? Teaching a child with ASD new skills may require additional thought and a clear plan. Behavioural Skills Training (BST) is a teaching procedure proven to support learning new skills. This session will review the steps of BST that parents can use to teach their child a wide range of new skills. Join us for this interactive session to build your own skills as an effective teacher/parent.

Date: March 4, 2025 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Parents and caregivers of children and youth with autism may experience challenges with their child’s school placement, helping school staff understand their child’s needs, and understanding the services and supports your school board may offer. Seeing your child struggle with accessing curriculum or thriving in either virtual or in-school placements can be difficult.

Come and chat with one of Kinark’s School Consultants! Each session allows for an interactive experience for parents and caregivers to bring your questions about the school system and receive support from a School Consultant. You will also learn about other experiences from parents and caregivers, how to effectively advocate for your child, school policies and practices, individualized education plans (IEPs) and effective collaboration, as well as other valuable tips and tools for navigating and interacting with the school system.

Date: March 6, 2025 from 12 to 1 p.m.

This fourth session in the School Series focuses on bringing together the information of the previous three sessions on school policies and procedures to help you to effectively advocate for your child and collaborate with your child’s school team.

This session will provide you with information on what it means to be an advocate for your child and effective ways to advocate. It also provides information on why it is important to collaborate with your child’s school team and ways to enhance collaboration. There will be an opportunity to discuss challenges you may face when working with your child’s school team and tips, tricks, and resources to overcome these challenges.

Date: March 18, 2025 from 1 to 3 p.m.

To access Core Clinical services through the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) a Determination of Needs (DoN) will be completed with primary caregivers to determine funding amounts.

This session will provide an overview of the DoN. You will learn about the overall process, and have a better understanding of how to prepare, what to expect, and next steps. At the end of the session there is time allotted to answer additional questions you may have.

Date: March 24, 2025 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Does your child struggle when faced with unexpected events or changes to the routine? Do they insist on having things a certain way or have trouble shifting their point of view? Rigid thinking and behaviours are common and may be tied to anxiety. In this session, we’ll talk about some common issues around rigidity, ways to support your child in these moments, and strategies to help promote flexibility in thinking and behaviour.

Date: March 26, 2025 from 12 to 1 p.m.

The transition to High School workshop is tailored to prepare families with helpful information and tips to help decrease some of the stress and anxiety related to this significant milestone. In this workshop, we build awareness to support a successful transition including ways to familiarize your child to the new school, prepare you for school meetings, skills, and routines to work on before the transition and more. The goal of this session is to provide you with ways to prepare your child for this transition, as well to support you in feeling more confident and informed.

Date: March 19, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Life after high school is a significant phase in your child’s life and planning for this transition is a mission like no other. The workshop aims to inform parents about effective transition practices including an early person-centered approach, self-advocacy, and strategies to teach various skills to prepare your child for the next stage in life.

Sign up to join our ASD Consultants to learn about how to create an effective transition plan, goal setting, as well as post-secondary options to consider for your child.

Date: March 28, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.