The Next Step (8-12 year olds) will review emotions and zones and focus on the identification of moving through the four zones of regulation. Participants will learn a number of strategies that will enable them to increase their ability to self-regulate and increase their emotional awareness.

PEERS is a 15-week evidence-based social skills program delivered in person for students aged 12 – 17. There is a weekly mandatory parent session. Topics include:
• How to use appropriate conversational skills
• How to find common interests by trading information
• How to appropriately use humour
• How to handle rejection, teasing and bullying
• How to handle rumours and gossip
• How to be a good host during get-togethers
• How to make phone calls to friends
• How to be a good sport
• How to handle arguments and disagreements
• How to change a bad reputation (by investigating one new extracurricular activity)

Model Me Kids Tips & Tricks is a 10-week evidence-based social skills program delivered virtually for students aged 8-12. Topics include:
- Topics include; demonstrating social skills in school and in the community
Each topic is demonstrated to help explain that particular rule. Each skill is demonstrated in more than one situation and across environments. This is useful to children with Autism because it helps with generalization of the skill taught.

I Can Do It is a 10-week evidence-based social skills program delivered virtually for students aged 14-17 Topics include:
Topics include; do my best, social skills in the context of challenging circumstances.

Each topic is demonstrated to help explain that particular rule. Each skill is demonstrated in more than one situation and across environments. This is useful to children with Autism because it helps with generalization of the skill taught.

Get job ready! Job P.R.E.P. is for teens ages 14-17, who are looking to develop skills to help them find and maintain a job. The 10 session individualized program will work on skills such as, resumes, interview skills, public vs private, managing stress & anxiety, hidden social rules, and much more!

Model Me Going Places™ provides children with Autism the skills to enable them to participate in a variety of community outings successfully.

FCW is a series of 5 – 2 hour workshops which provides parents and caregivers with a foundational understanding of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and evidence based strategies. Topics include; ASD, reinforcement, antecedent strategies, replacement behaviour, functions of behaviour, and setting events.

GJCC Focused Consultative ABA services (using the techniques and strategies of Applied Behaviour Analysis – ABA) can help individuals learn new skills, cope with, and tolerate different situations, and decrease some challenging behaviours. Individualized plans will include 1 goal, which is then broken into smaller steps through teaching strategies. Some examples are:
• Improving social skills, taking turns
• Following instructions, transitioning between activities, following a schedule
• Learning to care for personal needs, like: getting dressed, teeth brushing, basic daily self care

You will guide the process. Together, we will talk about your needs, goals, and what you and your child/youth need support with. Do not worry; we will help give clinical recommendations if you do not know where to start.
When you have selected the goal, we will observe and assess your child/youth to see his/her current strengths and needs. Our clinical team will create an individualized 10-week plan for your child/youth based on your goals. Your child/youth will be working 1-1 with a Behavioural Therapist to deliver the plan with the Clinical Supervision of the BCBA. There are also opportunities for caregiver mediated coaching throughout the 8 weeks of sessions. All services can be delivered virtually or in-person, as determined in collaboration with your child/youth’s Behaviour Clinician (BCBA). These goals can happen in a variety of environments based on needs and consents.

Faces and Emotions will focus on identifying facial expressions and different emotions in both self and others and is explored virtually.

Running for 8 individualized sessions, E.I.B. focuses on enhancing the independent life skills of individuals. Working with an ABA Therapist, teens will have the opportunity to work on different life skills. Skills include; Personal Living Skills (grooming, hygiene, and dressing), Independent Living Skills (clothing care, meal planning and cooking, and home safety), and Community Living Skills (money management, shopping, and community safety).

Conversation Cues is an 10-week evidence-based social skills program delivered virtually for students aged 8 - 12 years of age. Topics include:
- When to start a conversation
- How to start a conversation
- How to take turns appropriately
- How to maintain conversation with peers
- How to stay on top
- How to identify emotions of their conversation partner respond appropriately
- How to end a conversation

Model Me Confidence & Bullying Prevention™ provides children with Autism a teaching tool for preventing bullying and building self-esteem.
Model Me Confidence & Bullying Prevention™ will give children some good ideas about how to make themselves as strong as they can be. The lessons will teach them how to add to their toolbox with a variety of strategies to use every day at school, at home, and in their community.

Children’s Friendship Training is an evidence based interactive program delivered in module sessions in which children and families develop and practice social skills necessary to initiate and maintain meaningful peer relationships. Caregivers attend sessions at the same time as their children/youth.

Through ten modules, children will learn to make phone calls, host play-dates, maintain play, share in the interests of others, and respond appropriately to bullying/teasing. During these sessions, caregivers will learn how to support their children as they navigate different social situations.
Facilitators will complete a pre-screening tool with families expressing an interest in participating.

Caregivers of children recently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will participate in a group session together with other Caregivers and FIREFLY team members that will introduce them to a range of services and approaches used to support individuals with ASD. Following the group session, a member(s) of the FIREFLY team will provide up to 4 hours, follow-up consultation, matched to the needs and interests identified by each Caregiver. Topics of interest for families may include, but are not limited to: communication, behaviour, early learning and independence. Caregivers will complete this service having basic information that will help them support and understand their child’s needs as they transition to life beyond initial diagnosis.

Caregivers will work together with the Occupational Therapist, Speech-Language Pathologist and BCBA, to choose a goal. They will then have 9 sessions of 1:1 coaching and/or consultations with any of the professionals, based on what the needs and goal is.

Following a brief screening by the team, you will discuss strategies related to skill acquisition or a behaviour of concern that the family may find challenging. Caregivers will leave the initial consult with specific, measurable goals. The professionals will develop strategies and will then help coach the family or work with the child directly for the remaining sessions.

A Speech-Language Pathologist will conduct a parent interview and screen your child to determine speech, language and/or social communication skills. Based on parent focus and child’s skill level, SLP will work with child, demonstrate strategies and coach the caregiver in order to facilitate learning and help transition skills to home.

Consult and collaboratively work with an Occupational Therapist to identify concerns related to fine motor skills, visual motor skills (paper and pencil, cutting), self-regulation, self-care skills as well as areas of sensory processing affecting the child’s functional skills in their everyday life.

The SOS Feeding Therapy Group is designed for children aged 2 – 7 years of age that are selective feeders and eat a limited repertoire of foods. It is designed to increase children’s willingness to explore, interact, and accept new foods. Each child will receive a feeding assessment and then will participate in 6 sessions with peers.

Kindergarten camp is designed for 3-5 year olds and will focus on fine motor skills, early literacy skills, self-advocacy, speech sound skills, and language skills. At the end of the 4 sessions, parents/caregivers will receive a short screening handout that highlights their child’s areas of strength and needs.

The early years are especially crucial for verbal children on the autism spectrum because they still face special communication challenges. Often, these children find it difficult to:
• Have conversations with others
• Play with children their own age
• Talk about things that interest someone else
• Change a routine without becoming frustrated
If you’ve noticed more than one of these difficulties in your child, the TalkAbility Program can help. Specifically designed for parents of verbal children ages 3-7 years and up with social communication difficulties, the TalkAbility Program teaches parents practical ways to help their child learn people skills.
By “people skills”, we mean the ability to “tune in” to the thoughts and feelings of others by paying attention to non-verbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, eye gaze, and tone of voice. The ability to consider other points of view and to have empathy for others is essential for successful conversations and for making friends. Children with social communication difficulties require extra help to develop these skills.
When you take the TalkAbility Program, you’ll learn:
• How your child carries on conversation and the next steps to take to help him have back-and-forth conversations
• How to encourage your child to pay attention to the social messages people send non-verbally
• How to talk so your child can tune in to what others are thinking ; help them appreciate another person<s feelings and point of view
• How to help your child tell stories and play imaginatively
• How to help your child make friends
Program Components
• Informative and personal classes for small groups of parents
• A Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist who leads the program and has received special training from The Hanen Centre
• A pre-program consultation for you and your child with your speech-language pathologist
• Individual video feedback sessions of you interacting with your child, so you can “see” what is helping and what else you can do
• Individual video feedback of your child playing with another child so you can “see” how you help their interaction

These individual consultations are designed to allow for caregivers the opportunity to discuss 1-2 concerns they have about their child’s speech and language development. Families will meet with a registered Speech-Language Pathologist for a 1:1 consultation, which will last 45-50 minutes and be offered in-person or virtually. During the session, strategies and goals will be shared with the caregivers to ensure that they have the knowledge and confidence required to allow them to help their child become a more effective communicator. Topics discussed would be beneficial for children who are not yet using verbal words to communicate, use a limited number of words, communicate with a communication device (i.e. PECS, Proloquo, SnapCore), struggle to produce speech sounds, communicate using incomplete sentences, or have difficulties with social communication and interaction with peers. No matter what the need is, we can help!
At initial contact with the family, discussion about whether the child should be present for a part of the session will take place, should it allow for better caregiver coaching. At the end of each session, families will be provided with strategies and tips that will be helpful to their unique situation, which can be implemented with the child within their daily routines at home!

As Speech-Language Pathologists, our role is to support the communication development of individuals on the autism spectrum disorder or of those who have social communication difficulties. When working with children, involving parents and caregivers is the key to success. As the therapist applies Hanen’s 4Is to Socialize™ framework, parents and/or caregivers will learn how to use responsive interaction strategies with their child that will foster socialization and ongoing communication development. Sessions will involve both parent/caregiver education and coaching, as well as direct support to the parent/caregiver while interacting with their child who will be present during some sessions.

This skills group will aim to teach school aged learners’ important social skill for engaging in social play and social interactions, building friendships with peers, as well as managing emotions in challenging social settings. Learners will have the opportunity to identify their social strengths as well as an opportunity to practice play skills, language skills, self-regulation skills and school readiness skills. This social skills group will provide a variety of facilitated activities that will encourage learners to connect with peers, enhance their self-awareness skills and practice problem solving and cooperation skills.

This social skills group will provide learners with an opportunity to explore and practice social skills such as asking for help, greeting peers, turn taking, asking peers to play, and joining in on other peers’ play. Through a variety of facilitated activities, this group will also help learners identify and practice skills needed for managing their emotions and learning to cooperate with others.

The RUBI Parent Training for Disruptive Behaviours is intended to equip parents with a variety of techniques and tools that can help minimize disruptive behaviours and increase desired behaviours. It provides families with a wealth of information that can assist in their day-to-day planning for their child by including teaching opportunities for play skills, daily living skills as well as opportunities to apply behaviour management skills for encouraging desired behaviours.