Parent & Caregiver Education

The Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a document that is often described as the cornerstone of special education for children who have exceptional needs. Parents, educators, and community partners all play important roles in the planning and implementation of a student’s special education program. Taking a collaborative team approach to setting observable, measurable and realistic expectations and goals for student achievement will often lead to a positive school climate and the best possible outcomes for your child.

This interactive session will help parents understand the IEP and how to participate in the IEP development, implementation, and review process.

Date: September 14, 2026 from 11:30 a.m. 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: September 15, 2026 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: September 17, 2026 from 9 to 11 a.m.

The Behaviour Series is made up of four 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 two sessions, After Behaviour – Functions of Behaviour and After Behaviour – Reinforcement, focus on the things that parents can do after challenging behaviour occurs. These workshops break down how to identify the function of challenging behaviour, influencing the specific strategies we choose and provide a variety of practical strategies that may reduce the likelihood of challenging behaviour re-occurring in the future after an escalation has calmed.

Date: September 22, 2026 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: September 24, 2026 from 12 to 1 p.m.

This session provides a brief description of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and an introduction to the PPM 140. PPM 140 is a policy that mandates the use of ABA in schools to assist in the education of students with autism.

Perhaps you have heard of these terms or maybe they are entirely new to you. Learning about and understanding the principles of ABA and how those are incorporated into your child’s special education program through the PPM 140 is key. You will build awareness of your rights as parents/caregivers when planning for and supporting effective educational programs for your child with autism.

Date: September 28, 2026 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Behaviour Series is made up of four 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 two sessions, After Behaviour – Functions of Behaviour and After Behaviour – Reinforcement, focus on the things that parents can do after challenging behaviour occurs. These workshops break down how to identify the function of challenging behaviour, influencing the specific strategies we choose and provide a variety of practical strategies that may reduce the likelihood of challenging behaviour re-occurring in the future after an escalation has calmed.

Date: September 30, 2026 from 12 to 1 p.m.

This session focuses 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: October 6, 2026 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: October 8, 2026 from 11 a.m. 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: October 13, 2026 from 11 a.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: October 14, 2026 from 12 to 1 p.m.

The Behaviour Series is made up of four 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 two sessions, After Behaviour – Functions of Behaviour and After Behaviour – Reinforcement, focus on the things that parents can do after challenging behaviour occurs. These workshops break down how to identify the function of challenging behaviour, influencing the specific strategies we choose and provide a variety of practical strategies that may reduce the likelihood of challenging behaviour re-occurring in the future after an escalation has calmed.

Date: October 20, 2026 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Have you ever found yourself frustrated when your child just isn’t learning a skill? Teaching a child with autism 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: October 22, 2026 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: October 26, 2026 from 12 to 1 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: October 28, 2026 from 12 to 1 p.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: November 1, 2026 from 11 a.m. 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: November 2, 2026 from 12 to 1 p.m.

The Behaviour Series is made up of four 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 two sessions, After Behaviour – Functions of Behaviour and After Behaviour – Reinforcement, focus on the things that parents can do after challenging behaviour occurs. These workshops break down how to identify the function of challenging behaviour, influencing the specific strategies we choose and provide a variety of practical strategies that may reduce the likelihood of challenging behaviour re-occurring in the future after an escalation has calmed.

Date: November 4, 2026 from 12 to 1 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: November 10, 2026 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: November 12, 2026 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Change happens…but it does not have to be hard! In this session we will help you identify the bigger and smaller transitions in your child’s life and provide you with the tools and strategies for success. You will learn how to prepare your child for the many transitions across their day, their week, and the bigger transitions for years to come.

In this workshop we will also share strategies on how to access transition supports at school. You will participate in a make-and-take component that will help you create helpful transition tools and resources to take home and use with your child.

Date: November 18, 2026 from 11 a.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: November 24, 2026 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: November 26, 2026 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 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: November 30, 2026 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Join us in discovering how playtime isn’t just fun, it’s a powerful way to help your child learn important life skills. This workshop provides an opportunity for you to ask questions about how to navigate tricky playtime moments, encourage positive behaviors, and bring out the best in your child, all while having a blast!

Date: December 2, 2026 from 12 to 1 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: December 8, 2026 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: December 14, 2026 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Parents and caregivers view the safety of their children as a significant concern. Many children and youth with autism are reported to wander or elope, making them more prone to leaving the safety of a caregiver or support person and wandering from their home, school or community setting. This causes significant risk for those who may not be aware of possible dangers or harm and puts tremendous stress on families.

In this session, you will learn tips and tools you can use to help anticipate the risks, avoid the dangers, and teach the skills your child needs to stay safe at home and in the community.

Date: December 10, 2026 from 11:30 a.m. 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: December 16, 2026 from 12 to 1:30 p.m.