Parent & Caregiver Education

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: Monday, July 17, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

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, July 18, 2023 from 12 to 1 pm

From the first cry after your child’s birth to learning to say their first word, there are many steps along the way and many more to go before your child masters communicating with words. This session will provide an overview of communication milestones and critical early language skills. You will leave with individualized goals and several key strategies you can use to further your child’s early language and communication development.

Date: Wednesday, July 19, 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, July 24, 2023 from 1 to 3 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: Thursday, July 27, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

Join us for a FREE DIY Resource Day where you will meet members of our team, learn to create visuals, and leave with free resources for your child! 

These free workshops provide parents and caregivers with the opportunity to create resources for your child with the support of our team. You will have access to free materials to create resources such as token/reward charts, choice boards, and social narratives. While parents are busy printing, laminating, and Velcro-ing, children and siblings will participate in an activity or free play session. 

This program offers:

• Consultation with our team to support you in creating individualized resources for your child 
• Access to free materials to create resources such as token/reward charts, choice boards, and social narratives. 
• A quiet space for your child to play and explore while you connect with other parents and caregivers in your community

Location

Richmond Hill Public Library (Central Branch)
1 Atkinson Street, Richmond Hill, ON, L4C 0H5

• Thursday, July 27, 2023 from 2 to 3:30 pm

We all know how challenging a picky eater can be, but did you know there are Applied Behaviour Analysis strategies that can help? In this workshop, you will become more familiar with the importance of good eating habits, issues common to picky eaters, factors that may influence common issues, 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: Friday, August 4, 2023 from 9:30 am to 12 pm

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: Wednesday, August 9, 2023 from 12 to 1 pm

Transitioning back to school may be a challenging experience for learners and caregivers. Proactive planning and supporting your child with the tools they need can make going to school and the school year a more positive experience. This session will include a discussion about the safety skills to practice, routines to incorporate and maintain throughout the school year, general tips and strategies, and visual resources to help prepare for the start of school and beyond.

Date: Monday, August 14, 2023 from 12 to 1 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: Thursday, August 17, 2023 from 1 to 3 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: Monday, August 21, 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: Tuesday, August 29, 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: Thursday, September 7, 2023 from 9:30 to 10:30 am

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, September 11, 2023 from 12 to 2 pm

The Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a document that is often described as the cornerstone of special education for children who have exceptional needs. Caregivers, 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: Wednesday, September 13, 2023 from 9:30 to 11 am

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: Tuesday, September 19, 2023 from 1 to 3 pm

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: Thursday, September 21, 2023 from 9:30 to 11:30 am

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, September 21, 2023 from 12 to 1 pm

This session provides a brief overview of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and an introduction to the PPM 140 policy. PPM 140 is a policy that mandates the use of ABA in schools to assist in the education of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). You may have heard of these terms, or they might be entirely new to you, but learning about and understanding the principles of ABA and how it is incorporated into your child’s special education program is important. This session will help you build awareness of your rights as a parent and caregiver when planning and supporting effective educational programs for your child.

Date: Monday, September 25, 2023 from 9:30 to 11 am

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, September 25, 2023 from 11 am to 12:30 pm

Collecting information about behaviour is critical when teaching new skills, especially if you are a parent or caregiver of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This workshop will cover why, how, and when to track behaviour, and how to use the information collected to select effective strategies. Whether you are already involved with a clinical team and looking to generalize skills to the home or community, or you are waiting to begin working with a service provider and want a head start in developing your child’s skills, this workshop is for you! Parents and caregivers will leave this workshop with tools and strategies to track progress and make informed decisions about which strategies to use.

Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2023 from 9:30 to 11 am