Parent & Caregiver Education

This workshop provides parents and caregivers with an overview of ABA strategies and tools to help you teach your child new skills. You will learn different ways to help prompt your child, how to use reinforcement to let your child know when they have done well, how to break down skills into smaller steps to make teaching easier for your child and how to increase your child’s independence. You will leave this workshop with tools and strategies to help support you and increase your success when teaching your child new skills.

Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2023 from 10 am to 12 pm

Are you a fun play partner for your child? We know the importance of play, but we don’t always know how to play (or even like to play!). Through discussion and examples, this session will help you thrive at being a fun and interactive play partner for your child. You will also learn about the power of motivation and following your child’s lead. Be more playful and let your inner child to shine!

Date: Monday, February 27, 2023 from 12 to 12:45 pm

Bullying is pervasive in Canadian schools and communities. Research indicates that children with autism are at a much greater risk of being bullied than their peers. This workshop engages parents who may be concerned about their children being bullied or perpetuating bullying in the presence of their peers. Content includes defining the common types of bullying, identifying a variety of roles that children may play in the context of bullying, and discussing its prevalence. A significant emphasis will be placed on teaching concrete, actionable strategies for parents of children across all stages of childhood (pre-school, school-age, and adolescents) to ensure that you are equipped to prevent and address bullying. Additional strategies are provided to prevent and address cyberbullying due to the increasing use of technology and social media.

Date: Monday, March 6, 2023 from 1 to 3 pm

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.

Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

Parents and caregivers view the safety of their children as a significant concern. Parents of children with ASD often have additional concerns to consider when addressing their child’s safety. This workshop outlines essential safety skills on the topics of water and road safety. You will learn tips and tools that support you to anticipate the risks, avoid the dangers, and teach the skills your child needs to stay safe at home and in the community.

Date: Friday, March 10, 2023 from 12 to 1:30 pm

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. You will learn how to decide when to move to the next step of toilet training through the various strategies and tools shared, 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: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

Come and chat with Kinark’s Occupational Therapist to ask questions, learn about our Occupational Therapy (OT) services, and how they can support your child’s development. This workshop allows for an interactive experience where parents and caregivers can ask questions related to OT. Topics covered may include sensory processing and managing sensitivities, developing motor skills, activities to support handwriting readiness, strategies for picky eating, building self-regulation skills and promoting independence with daily self-care (e.g. dressing, toileting).

Date: Monday, March 20, 2023 from 11 am to 12 pm

Do you want to learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? In this session we will discuss autism, some early signs and risk factors, and describe how ASD is diagnosed to help you better understand your child’s diagnosis. We will review cognitive differences in individuals with ASD, including challenges with executive functioning, theory of mind and perspective taking, and highlight some areas of strengths in individuals with ASD. This workshop will help you to identify evidence-based services and provide a brief overview of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). Families will have the opportunity to share experiences and chat with our knowledgeable clinicians throughout the session.

Date: Monday, March 20, 2023 from 12 to 1:30 pm

Parents and caregivers of children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may experience challenges when understanding and managing their child’s behavioural and emotional needs. Children with ASD often struggle with emotional regulation and seeing your child in distress from an angry meltdown, tears of sadness or constant worries can be hard! Come chat with other parents and our psychologist about how to cope when your child has ASD and mental health challenges. This session allows for an interactive experience for parents and caregivers to bring your questions related to ASD and mental health. We will discuss how to support your child, help you understand the assessment process, how to tell your child and/or others about a diagnosis and available resources and strategies to support you and your child.

Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2023 from 12 to 1 pm

The Behaviour Series is made up of three independent, but related workshops, where caregivers learn ways to support their child before, during and after displaying challenging behaviour. This workshop provides a variety of practical strategies that may help you prevent and prepare for challenging behaviour before an escalation occurs to help set your child up for success. Please note that this session may have content that overlaps with our previously offered series, Managing Meltdowns and More: Part 1 and Part 2.

Date: Thursday, March 23, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

Visual schedules are great tools for assisting children with following routines and increasing their independence. Our Kinark Kreates DIY Visual Schedules video shows you how to create and use a visual schedule with your child. Participating in this Q&A session will give you an opportunity to speak with an ASD Consultant about how to individualize and implement a visual schedule with your child. This video is available to watch here: https://youtu.be/oQVdNJ2AlK0.

Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 12 to 1 pm

This workshop provides parents and caregivers with an overview of ABA strategies and tools to help you teach your child new skills. You will learn different ways to help prompt your child, how to use reinforcement to let your child know when they have done well, how to break down skills into smaller steps to make teaching easier for your child and how to increase your child’s independence. You will leave this workshop with tools and strategies to help support you and increase your success when teaching your child new skills.

Date: Friday, March 31, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

Life after high school is a significant phase in your child’s life and planning for this transition may take a lot of work. This workshop aims to inform parents about effective transition practices, including an early person-centred approach, self-advocacy and strategies to teach various skills to prepare your child for their next stage in life. You will leave this session with information to support you when creating an effective transition plan, goal setting and post-secondary options to consider for your child.

Date: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

The Behaviour Series are three independent but related workshops where caregivers learn ways to support their child before, during and after displaying challenging behaviour. This session focuses helping your child find their calm and shares what caregivers can do during an episode of challenging behaviour to support the child who is experiencing strong and uncomfortable emotions. This workshop provides a variety of practical strategies that may help keep caregivers in a space where they might effectively support the child who is having difficulty returning to a calm state.

Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

Medical and dental appointments are an important part of maintaining good health. However, it can be challenging and stressful when preparing your child for these appointments. This workshop is designed to review how evidence-based practices can be utilized to support children with Autism Spectrum Disorder when preparing for these appointments and procedures. In this workshop, you will become familiar with strategies to help make these experiences more enjoyable for your child, including offering choice, breaking down the steps into achievable targets, use of reinforcement and other effective methods to increase the likelihood of success. You will leave this workshop with a variety of practical strategies and tools to help support your child and their cooperation during medical appointments.

Date: Friday, April 14, 2023 from 12 to 1 pm

Executive functions support everyday life skills and behaviours, from simple activities like following one-step instructions to more complex activities like preparing a meal. It is common that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience challenges with executive functions, including focus, inhibition, memory, emotion and planning. This workshop is led by Kinark’s Occupational Therapist and will explore executive functions, how they affect individuals with ASD and how to support your child day to day. You will leave this session with an understanding of the different components of executive function, its impact on daily activities and strategies to support your child with these challenges.

Date: Monday, April 17, 2023 from 11 am to 12:30 pm

This session focuses on combining key information from school policies and procedures to help you effectively advocate for your child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the school system. You will be provided information on what it means to be an advocate for your child, ways to effectively advocate for them, and the importance of collaborating with your child’s school team. Tips, tricks and resources will be shared to help you overcome common challenges that you may face when working with your child’s school team.

Date: Tuesday, April 18, 2023 from 6 to 8 pm

This workshop provides families with important information and tips to help decrease some of the worries related to the significant milestone of transitioning to high school. You will learn how to support a successful transition, including ways to familiarize your youth to the new school, prepare for school meetings, skills and routines to work on before the transition and more. The goal of this workshop is to equip you with ways to prepare your youth for this transition and to support you in feeling more confident and informed!

Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

Sleep concerns can be common in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder 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 that aim to promote better sleeping behaviours for your child.

Date: Monday, April 24, 2023 from 1 to 3 pm

Are you a fun play partner for your child? We know the importance of play, but we don’t always know how to play (or even like to play!). Through discussion and examples, this session will help you thrive at being a fun and interactive play partner for your child. You will also learn about the power of motivation and following your child’s lead. Be more playful and let your inner child to shine!

Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023 from 12 to 12:45 pm

Parents and caregivers of children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may experience challenges when understanding and managing their child’s behavioural and emotional needs. Children with ASD often struggle with emotional regulation and seeing your child in distress from an angry meltdown, tears of sadness or constant worries can be hard! Come chat with other parents and our psychologist about how to cope when your child has ASD and mental health challenges. This session allows for an interactive experience for parents and caregivers to bring your questions related to ASD and mental health. We will discuss how to support your child, help you understand the assessment process, how to tell your child and/or others about a diagnosis and available resources and strategies to support you and your child.

Date: Thursday, April 27, 2023 from 11 am to 12 pm

If you’ve watched the Kinark Kreates First-Then Board video, you will know that a first-then board is a great tool for increasing your child’s motivation to complete tasks they may not like or find difficult. This session is intended for parents who have watched the video and would like to ask questions to an ASD Consultant on how to individualize and implement a first-then board with their child. This video is available to watch here: https://youtu.be/9zNKARdPm5I.

Date: Thursday, May 4, 2023 from 12 to 1 pm

The Behaviour Series is made up of three independent but related workshops where caregivers learn ways to support their child before, during and after displaying challenging behaviour. This session focuses on responding intentionally and effectively to behaviour by sharing the actions that caregivers can do after challenging behaviour occurs. This workshop provides a variety of practical strategies and valuable skills that can support your child and may help to reduce the likelihood of challenging behaviour re-occurring after an escalation has calmed. Please note that this session may have content that overlaps with a previously offered series, Managing Meltdowns: Part 1 & Part 2.

Date: Monday, May 8, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

To ensure that our children learn effectively in group environments, such as social skills groups, at school, and in community programs, it’s important to provide them with the right skills to help them thrive in these settings. In this workshop, we will discuss the pre-requisite skills your child may need for group environments, why they are important, and how you can work on teaching these skills at home. Some of the skills we will discuss include listening and following directions, tolerating transitions, imitation, joining in, group demands, and more!

Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

Reinforcement is a natural process involved in learning all new skills. For parents and caregivers, reinforcement can be a powerful tool used to support specific goals for your child. In this workshop, 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. This workshop will also discuss how to teach your child to work towards naturally occurring reinforcement.

Date: Friday, May 12, 2023 from 12 to 1:30 pm

Many children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) process sensory information (i.e., information coming in through your vision, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching senses) from the world around them differently than others. In this workshop led by Kinark’s Occupational Therapist, you will explore the sensory system, how it affects individuals with ASD and how to support your child from day to day. This session aims to provide caregivers with a general overview of sensory processing and emotion regulation strategies. You will also learn about the functions of behaviour, triggers of dysregulation and tools/strategies to support sensory regulation that you can implement at home.

Date: Monday, May 15, 2023 from 12 to 1:30 pm

Parents and caregivers view the safety of their children as a significant concern. Children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may wander or run away, making them more prone to leaving the safety of a caregiver or support person and wandering from their home, school or community setting. This can cause significant risks for those who may not be aware of possible dangers or harm and can put tremendous stress on families. In this session, you will learn tips and tools 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: Tuesday, May 16, 2023 from 1 to 2:30 pm

Sibling relationships can be fun and also complicated! This workshop will explore some of the common challenges in sibling relationships when one or more children has an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. We will talk about the benefits of playing together, building understanding among siblings, and explore specific strategies to support play. Parents will learn how to support individual differences in this workshop, and ways to help your children build connection and foster positive relationships that can last a lifetime.

Date: Thursday, May 18, 2023 from 12 to 1 pm

Parents and caregivers of children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may experience challenges when understanding and managing their child’s behavioural and emotional needs. Children with ASD often struggle with emotional regulation and seeing your child in distress from an angry meltdown, tears of sadness or constant worries can be hard! Come chat with other parents and our psychologist about how to cope when your child has ASD and mental health challenges. This session allows for an interactive experience for parents and caregivers to bring your questions related to ASD and mental health. We will discuss how to support your child, help you understand the assessment process, how to tell your child and/or others about a diagnosis and available resources and strategies to support you and your child.

Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2023 from 12 to 1 pm

Everyone knows it’s important to teach your child their ABCs and123s. What about the skills they need to get through the rest of their day and lives? Functional life skills are essential skills that allow us to function independently at home, school, work, and in our communities. Skills may include brushing our teeth, ordering take-out, and filing our taxes. In this workshop, you will learn seven steps to teaching your child functional life skills. This workshop is appropriate for caregivers of children and youth with autism aged two – 18.

Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

Supporting children as they become young adults is an exciting time with many significant teaching moments, especially when a youth begins their menstrual cycle. This session is designed to support caregivers in building healthy self-care routines for their child and introducing the topic of periods and menstruation in a positive way. This workshop provides practical tips and strategies to help teach the skills associated with getting a period, how to manage symptoms and how to support youth to advocate for their needs. This session is recommended for caregivers of youth aged eight and older.

Date: Monday, May 29, 2023 from 1 to 2:30 pm

Are you looking for information to support your child’s transition to kindergarten? This workshop is tailored to prepare families for this significant milestone with helpful information and tips. In this workshop you will learn about the steps you can take to prepare your child for school, effective communication with the school, visual supports, and more!

Date: Tuesday, May 30, 2023 from 12 to 1:30 pm