Programs & Services

Join us in person for Conversation Cues. Conversation Cues is a 12-session program teaching the skills needed during conversations. Sessions are taught using a variety of activities, videos, workbooks, and role-plays. Topics covered include;

- When To Start the Conversation
- Cue: Interested
- Cue: Not Interested
- How To Start a Conversation
- Cue: Bored
- Take Turns
- Maintain Conversation
- Talk on Topic
- Cue: Disbelief
- Cue: Confused
- My Cues
- End Conversation

Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relationship Skills (PEERS®) is a social skills training intervention for youth. It is designed for motivated youth interested in learning ways to help them make and keep friends. They are taught essential social skills such as conversational skills, maintaining friendships, using humour appropriately, and handling disagreements. Teens have an opportunity to practice these skills through role-playing and other activities.

16 weeks of 1.5-hour sessions, for both teens and parents (or designated social coach). (Teen sessions and adult sessions will run at the same time but in different rooms).

Teens will learn how to:
 Use appropriate conversational skills
 Use humor appropriately
 Use electronic communication
 Enter & exit conversations
 Be a good host during get-togethers
 Be a good sport
 Handle arguments and disagreements
 Change a bad reputation
 Handle rumors and gossip
 Handle rejection, teasing, and bullying

Job Tips utilizes real-world scenarios & strategies to support teens and adults transitioning to the workplace. Sessions are taught using evidence-based strategies such as visual supports, social stories & comics, role-playing scenarios, video modeling, as well as self-assessments, and graphic organizers.

Topics include:
 Determining Interests
 Job Search
 Resumes & Cover Letters
 Interview Skills
 References
 Disclosure

Celebrate the New Year with us! Sibshops is an opportunity for those who have a sibling with an ASD diagnosis. Sibshops is an opportunity for those who have a sibling with an ASD diagnosis. Sibshops is not therapy, but rather a venue for sibs to have fun, laugh, talk about the good and not-so-good parts, play some great games, learn something about the services/diagnosis of their brothers or sisters, and have some more fun. This all-day session includes snacks and lunches.

Sibshops is an opportunity for those who have a sibling with an ASD diagnosis. Sibshops is an opportunity for those who have a sibling with an ASD diagnosis. Sibshops is not therapy, but rather avenue for sibs to have fun, laugh, talk about the good and not-so-good parts, play some great games, learn something about the services/diagnosis of their brothers or sisters, and have some more fun. This all-day Hallowe’en-themed session includes snacks and lunches.

Sibshops is an opportunity for those who have a sibling with an ASD diagnosis. Sibshops is an opportunity for those who have a sibling with an ASD diagnosis. Sibshops is not therapy, but rather avenue for sibs to have fun, laugh, talk about the good and not-so-good parts, play some great games, learn something about the services/diagnosis of their brothers or sisters, and have some more fun. This all-day Hallowe’en-themed session includes snacks and lunches.

Sibshops is an opportunity for those who have a sibling with an ASD diagnosis. Sibshops is an opportunity for those who have a sibling with an ASD diagnosis. Sibshops is not therapy, but rather avenue for sibs to have fun, laugh, talk about the good and not-so-good parts, play some great games, learn something about the services/diagnosis of their brothers or sisters, and have some more fun. This all-day Hallowe’en-themed session includes snacks and lunches.

Roots & Wings Psychology is excited to offer a new service called Sleep Tight. Good sleep is crucial in supporting our children/youth’s growth and development as well as healthy brain and body functioning throughout their day. The Sleep Tight program is a time limited service that offers a sleep assessment and treatment plan, along with one month of follow up support.

Goals of the treatment plan are developed collaboratively with caregivers in consideration of the client, family values, as well as safety and subjective experience. Goals can include but are not limited to: falling asleep quickly, staying asleep throughout the night, rise without difficulty in the morning, decrease drowsiness during the day, and fall and stay asleep unassisted.

Roots & Wings Psychology is pleased to offer social skills groups using the POWER-Solving®: Stepping Stones to Helping Children Solve Life’s Everyday Social Problems curriculum. This comprehensive social skills curriculum teaches problem solving, anger management, social conversation, and developing friendship skills. Examples of skills targeted include, but are not limited to: setting and achieving a goal within a given situation; staying calm when told ‘no’, or when things don’t go their way; starting, maintaining, changing the topic, and ending conversation appropriately; accepting others who are different from them; and learning how to play a game appropriately.

Eligible participants must be between 7 and 11 years of age with no externalized behaviours (i.e., physical aggression, property destruction, self-injurious behaviours), and well-established verbal repertoire (i.e., can read and write close to their grade level).

Pizza and drinks will be provided at each session.

This workshop is a condensed version of the Parent Management Training (Kazdin, 2008) program. It aims to enhance parenting skills to improve challenging behaviours in children, such as aggression, hyperactivity, and non-compliance. The training will take place virtually. Handouts will be emailed to participants, as appropriate.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND. This service is intended for caregivers or adolescents (age 13+) to receive direct individual support from a psychologist or clinical associate working under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Price or Dr. Matias Mariani to address challenges related to a range of issues (e.g., family problems, parenting stress, bullying at school, worries, etc.). The goal is to provide time-limited counselling to better manage emotions, improve problem-solving, and learn various coping skills.

The Cool Kids Program for ASD (Chalfant, Lyneham, Rapee, & Carroll, 2011) is an evidence-based, structured therapy designed to help children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, aged 9 to 12 years effectively identify, manage, and overcome anxiety. The program uses a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approach and incorporates various techniques and strategies to help young individuals develop the skills necessary to better identify feelings, cope with anxiety, foster social skills, and improve overall function. All materials will be provided.

Note: All applicants must undergo an intake interview to determine eligibility.

This Social Resilience Builder Group for Teens is intended for adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder, aged 13 to 18 years. This group is adapted from The Resilience Builder Program (Alvord, Zucker, & Grados, 2011) that is designed to support individuals to bounce back from stress by developing resilience and protective factors, such as self-awareness, self-regulation, flexible thinking, and social competence. All materials will be provided.

Note: All applicants must undergo an intake interview to determine eligibility.

People interact socially many times in a day. For children with autism, developing social skills may require more practice and more opportunities. In this workshop series, caregivers are provided an overview of the importance of social skills and are introduced to various strategies that can be used with their children to target specific social skills. Caregivers will be given an opportunity to identify a relevant social skill to teach their child, utilizing a strategy reviewed in the workshop and will have opportunities to practice and report back in a 1:1 follow up consultation.

Teaching Parents to Toilet Train Their Child
We will train parents via telehealth and provide a few 1:1 consults specific to the implementation of teaching their child.

This toilet training program reviewed with participants comes from Dr. Natalie Paquet Croteau’s recent article published in the Journal of Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities.

Toileting is an essential skill for all individuals to acquire and serves as a steppingstone to the development of many other skills. This service aims to support parents and caregivers of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to teach toileting skills.

Toileting phases
• Research supported strategies
• Child centered approach to toileting
• Collecting and interpreting data
• Reinforcement and troubleshooting

This workshop series is recommended for families with a child who has recently received an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis. After receiving news of a diagnosis, families will navigate through a lot of information to make important decisions about next steps. This series offers 3 workshops, along with 4, 1:1, 30-minute consultations with a BCBA-D. Workshop 1 will provide an overview of various services recommended to families with a child with ASD. Workshop 2 will provide an overview of Autism and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and why ABA is well suited to address ASD. Workshop 3 will focus on developing positive interactions as a foundation to teach a variety of different skills in these early stages. 4, 30-minute, 1:1 consultations will follow Workshop 3, where families will identify a goal and will work with the BCBA-D to develop this skill. 1:1 consultations are for caregivers and child to attend. Workshops are delivered virtually and consultations can be virtual or in person, based on preference and availability.

Join us as we focus on social skills needed for play with friends and peers. Target skills include: - Taking-turns
- Waiting
- Sharing
- Winning & Losing
Parents and guardians are welcome to join us for at 11:30 for generalization on Friday August 11. Generalization handouts will also be provided daily.

This hands-on workshop will introduce caregivers to effective visual strategies that will assist in promoting positive behaviours.
Participants will walk away with the knowledge and rationale for using visual supports such as visual schedules, first & then boards and visual task analysis. Participants will have an opportunity to create an individualized visual to help support their child/ youth in the home environment.
Furthermore, caregivers will have an opportunity to consult virtually with a therapist for a one-hour follow up to support implementation of visual in the home setting

*Please note that this in-person workshop involves two 2-hour sessions across two days.

This hands-on workshop will introduce caregivers to effective visual strategies that will assist in promoting positive behaviours.
Participants will walk away with the knowledge and rationale for using visual supports such as visual schedules, first & then boards and visual task analysis. Participants will have an opportunity to create an individualized visual to help support their child/ youth in the home environment.
Furthermore, caregivers will have an opportunity to consult virtually with a therapist for a one-hour follow up to support implementation of visual in the home setting

*Please note that this in-person workshop involves two 2-hour sessions across two days.

This in-person workshop will discuss strategies that are proven effective when teaching toileting skills. Participants will gain knowledge of steps of toilet training, teaching strategies to implement during the toilet training journey. This is accompanied by a one-hour virtual follow-up consultation to support the implementation of these strategies into the home setting.

This in-person workshop will discuss strategies that are proven effective when teaching toileting skills. Participants will gain knowledge of steps of toilet training, teaching strategies to implement during the toilet training journey. This is accompanied by a one-hour virtual follow-up consultation to support the implementation of these strategies into the home setting.

This is a parent/caregiver mediated program offered to families who would like to work on a specific goal. The 8-week program includes 6 face-to-face or virtual meetings throughout the 8-week service. A meeting will occur for the following: discussion around suitability of the goal, observation, assessment, strategy development, parent/caregiver direct support/coaching, and generalization and maintenance.

This is a parent/caregiver mediated program offered to families who would like to work on a specific goal. The 8-week program includes 6 face-to-face or virtual meetings throughout the 8-week service. A meeting will occur for the following: discussion around suitability of the goal, observation, assessment, strategy development, parent/caregiver direct support/coaching, and generalization and maintenance.

This is a parent/caregiver mediated program offered to families who would like to work on a specific goal. The 8-week program includes 6 face-to-face or virtual meetings throughout the 8-week service. A meeting will occur for the following: discussion around suitability of the goal, observation, assessment, strategy development, parent/caregiver direct support/coaching, and generalization and maintenance.

This is a parent/caregiver mediated program offered to families who would like to work on a specific goal. The 8-week program includes 6 face-to-face or virtual meetings throughout the 8-week service. A meeting will occur for the following: discussion around suitability of the goal, observation, assessment, strategy development, parent/caregiver direct support/coaching, and generalization and maintenance.

This is a parent/caregiver mediated program offered to families who would like to work on a specific goal. The 8-week program includes 6 face-to-face or virtual meetings throughout the 8-week service. A meeting will occur for the following: discussion around suitability of the goal, observation, assessment, strategy development, parent/caregiver direct support/coaching, and generalization and maintenance.

The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) for Young Adults is an evidence-based social skills intervention for motivated young adults who are interested in making and keeping friends.

Games with Friends is a skill building group with goals around learning, playing, and interacting with peers. Facilitators use an interactive model including activities and games to teach participants social play and social language skills.
Group Topics include:
• Turn Taking
• Inviting others to play
• Winning and Losing
• Sportsmanship
• Greetings
• Understanding differences in interests

Using evidence based social skills, adapted from PEERS® for young Adults, participants will explore the skills related to dating.
Topics covered include:
Letting someone know you like them
Flirting
Choosing appropriate people to date
Online dating
Asking someone on a date
Accepting rejection
Turning someone down
Planning and going on dates
Dating do's and don'ts
Handling pressure from partners

Model Me Conversation Cues™ is a program teaching the skills needed during conversations. Sessions are taught using a variety of activities, videos, workbooks, and role-plays. Topics covered include; When To Start Conversation, Cue: Interested, Cue: Not Interested, How To Start Conversation, Cue: Bored, Take Turns Maintain Conversation, Talk on Topic, Cue: Disbelief, Cue: Confused, My Cues, End Conversation

Model Me Conversation Cues™ is a program teaching the skills needed during conversations. Sessions are taught using a variety of activities, videos, workbooks, and role-plays. Topics covered include; When To Start Conversation, Cue: Interested, Cue: Not Interested, How To Start Conversation, Cue: Bored, Take Turns Maintain Conversation, Talk on Topic, Cue: Disbelief, Cue: Confused, My Cues, End Conversation

Model Me Conversation Cues™ is a program teaching the skills needed during conversations. Sessions are taught using a variety of activities, videos, workbooks, and role-plays. Topics covered include; When To Start Conversation, Cue: Interested, Cue: Not Interested, How To Start Conversation, Cue: Bored, Take Turns Maintain Conversation, Talk on Topic, Cue: Disbelief, Cue: Confused, My Cues, End Conversation

Model Me Conversation Cues™ is a program teaching the skills needed during conversations. Sessions are taught using a variety of activities, videos, workbooks, and role-plays. Topics covered include; When To Start Conversation, Cue: Interested, Cue: Not Interested, How To Start Conversation, Cue: Bored, Take Turns Maintain Conversation, Talk on Topic, Cue: Disbelief, Cue: Confused, My Cues, End Conversation

Model Me Confidence and Bullying Prevention™ is a program designed to provide tools for preventing bullying and building self-esteem. Through videos and workbook, discussions and activities, the program will cover:
• Self-Advocacy
• Peer Pressure
• Choosing Friends
• Building Strengths
• Visualization
• Positive Self-Talk
• Scripting
• Stay with Others
• Telling Isn't Tattling
• Walk Tall

Model Me Confidence and Bullying Prevention™ is a program designed to provide tools for preventing bullying and building self-esteem. Through videos and workbook, discussions and activities, the program will cover:
• Self-Advocacy
• Peer Pressure
• Choosing Friends
• Building Strengths
• Visualization
• Positive Self-Talk
• Scripting
• Stay with Others
• Telling Isn't Tattling
• Walk Tall

Model Me Confidence and Bullying Prevention™ is a program designed to provide tools for preventing bullying and building self-esteem. Through videos and workbook, discussions and activities, the program will cover:
• Self-Advocacy
• Peer Pressure
• Choosing Friends
• Building Strengths
• Visualization
• Positive Self-Talk
• Scripting
• Stay with Others
• Telling Isn't Tattling
• Walk Tall

Model Me Confidence and Bullying Prevention™ is a program designed to provide tools for preventing bullying and building self-esteem. Through videos and workbook, discussions and activities, the program will cover:
• Self-Advocacy
• Peer Pressure
• Choosing Friends
• Building Strengths
• Visualization
• Positive Self-Talk
• Scripting
• Stay with Others
• Telling Isn't Tattling
• Walk Tall

Children’s Friendship Training is a 10-week evidence-based social skills group intervention for children aged 7- 11 years who are motivated in learning ways to make and keep friends. Parents/Guardians attend simultaneous sessions and gain skills to support their child.

Sibshops is an opportunity for those who have a sibling with an ASD diagnosis. Sibshops is an opportunity for those who have a sibling with an ASD diagnosis. Sibshops is not therapy, but rather a venue for sibs to have fun, laugh, talk about the good and not-so-good parts, play some great games, learn something about the services/diagnosis of their brothers or sisters, and have some more fun. This all-day session includes snacks and lunches.

Join us as we focus on social skills needed for play with friends and peers. Target skills include: - Taking-turns
- Waiting
- Sharing
- Winning & Losing
Parents and guardians are welcome to join us for at 11:30 for generalization on Friday August 11. Generalization handouts will also be provided daily.

Join us as we focus on developing skills used within our community. Participants will practice traveling to the grocery store, purchasing items, and preparing their own food. Skills targeted during this session are:
- Money
- Street Safety - Cooking
Parents and guardians are invited join us for at 11:30 for generalization, daily or at the end of the week. Handouts will also be provided.

Join us as we focus on developing skills used within our community. Participants will practice traveling to the grocery store, purchasing items, and preparing their own food. Skills targeted during this session are:
- Money
- Busing
- Cooking
Parents and guardians are invited join us for at 3:30 for generalization, daily or at the end of the week. Handouts will also be provided.

Join us for one or more causal coffee sessions as we explore ABA strategies that can be used within your home. Time will be provided within the sessions to support parents with connecting with each other and service providers to allow for opportunities to build community connections. Sessions include an optional 30-minute follow-up support from facilitators. Information will also be available to support with:
September 11: Routines & Visual Schedules September 18: Developing a Positive Relationship September 25: Encouraging Desirable Behaviour

Transitions can be difficult for children and youth with ASD, but they don’t have to be. Parents will be provided with the tools, education and knowledge for advocacy skills and navigating systems seamlessly in order to support their child to experience smooth transitions. Sectors included can be between years of study and/or between school settings, secondary and post-secondary or for the adult sector, work force and community settings. These individual consultations and relevant resources will be child/youth specific in response to their personal strengths, needs and specific needs of the family.

Welcome to Holland! Simple and effective Applied Behaviour Analysis strategies can easily be incorporated into everyday life at home. This webinar offers practical solutions for families to develop a routine, integrate visual aids into daily life, keep children busy, master controlled choices, Before and After, and following through. The one hour consultations will focus on direct parent training that can be incorporated into everyday life (between the loads of laundry and making supper).
3 one hour virtual Individual sessions scheduled in accordance with family availability.

Learning social behaviour begins quite early in life. As we navigate this social world, we develop appropriate skills to the context of situations for healthy sexuality. For parents and children with ASD, this social world can become frightening. This interactive webinar will support families in developing useful social repertoires amongst their peers and the world around them. Kids should learn these skills as soon as possible to protect them from being vulnerable to certain situations. These tools will be shared with parents and individual consultations will target one appropriate social skill to maintain healthy boundaries.

Youth are invited to join a small group of their peers, learn and practice new skills, and have fun in a relaxed setting. This service is intended for youth who have basic conversational skills and want to have greater success making and keeping friends. Through instruction, demonstration and role-play, participants will work on targeted skills such as: Starting and Maintaining Conversations; Choosing Appropriate Friends; Finding a Source of Friends; Sportsmanship; Handling Disagreements; and Dealing with Teasing. A screening will be completed prior to the start date to verify criteria for the program are met.

Youth are invited to join a small group of their peers, learn and practice new skills, and have fun in a relaxed setting. This service is intended for youth who have basic conversational skills and want to have greater success making and keeping friends. Through instruction, demonstrations and role-play, participants will work on targeted skills such as: Trading Information, Maintaining Conversations, Entering and Exiting Conversations and Appropriate use of Humour. Lunch will be provided. A screening will be completed prior to the start date to establish that youth are a fit for the program.

Over the course of four weeks, caregivers will consult directly with a Board-Certified Behaviour Analyst on a goal for their child. They will receive 1:1 coaching and/or continued consultations with the BCBA. Consultations will occur virtually or by phone, and in-person where possible. Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) as well as Mindfulness and values-based coaching will be used with caregivers (i.e., Acceptance and Commitment Training). ACT is an evidence-based approach that combines mindfulness techniques with values-based processes which helps caregivers to address the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and sensations that can arise when implementing new strategies.

Want to learn how to make money? Want to learn how to volunteer? Are you ready to join the workforce? Join us at our centre-location to learn how to pursue jobs you might be interested in. By the end of this vocational group, you’ll know how to search online for jobs, you’ll know what you need to write a resume you can hand out to potential employers, and you’ll have practice with an ‘actual’ interview situation. Take the next steps toward being a part of your community!
Fine print for caregivers: Participants will join group sessions in person with 1-2 facilitators. Peers will learn alongside each other how to search for employment (volunteer or paid), actively apply for jobs, and participate in interviews. Participants will be expected to complete a mock interview in their final session individually with a novel facilitator (i.e., not with the whole group present) so they may demonstrate the skills they learned in the previous 7 sessions.

(PEERS®) is an evidence-based, social skills intervention program for motivated students who are interested
in learning ways to help them make and keep friends, managing conflict and rejection. Teens will learn these
skills through direct teaching, role-play and practicing these skills during group activities.
A caregiver/social coach will attend sperate session simultaneously and are taught how to assist their teens
in making and keeping friends.
Caregiver participation is required!
Virtual services are available to individuals and families residing outside of the City of Greater Sudbury, in a remote area.

Learning to cooperate and see other’s perspectives can be challenging and, at times, uncomfortable for children. How do we develop these skills while keeping the experience positive?
Northern Outreach and Clinical Services in collaboration with Science North will offer an afterschool. program with the focus of building social skills.
The focus of this group will be to provide children with the opportunity to build on their social skills as it relates to working cooperatively with others. Through the develop a series of hands-on STEM activities participants will work on a variety of social skills (e.g., conversational, negotiation, perspective-taking etc.) throughout the group sessions and apply the skills to working on a larger project to be presented in the last session. The group will include a general lesson, opportunity for role-play and practice with peers/facilitator(s) and application to natural opportunities during scheduled activities.
This group will take place in collaboration with Science North!

Children’s Friendship Training is a 10-week, in person, evidence-based social skills intervention for motivated children who are interested in learning ways to help them make and keep friends.
During each small-group session, children learn a new skill and practice it with other group members. Children are given weekly assignments to help them apply the new skills in their daily lives. Meanwhile, parents learn how to support their children’s social development, coaching them as they practice their skills in the real world.
Your child will learn these skills:
• Making a good first impression
• Conversing with other children
• Finding common interests with other children
• Playing fairly and being gracious when winning or losing
• Resolving conflicts
• Handling rejection, teasing, and bullying
• Joining other children at play
• Being a good host on a playdate
• Showing respect to other children and adults

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND. This service is intended for caregivers or adolescents (age 13+) to receive direct individual support from a psychologist or clinical associate working under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Price or Dr. Matias Mariani to address challenges related to a range of issues (e.g., family problems, parenting stress, bullying at school, worries, etc.). The goal is to provide time-limited counselling to better manage emotions, improve problem-solving, and learn various coping skills.

The Resilience Builder Program (Alvord, Zucker, & Grados, 2011) is designed to support ages 9 to 12 to bounce back from stress by developing resilience and protective factors, such as self-awareness, self-regulation, flexible thinking, and social competence. All materials will be provided. Note: All applicants must undergo an intake interview to determine eligibility.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND. We are happy to offer drop-in clinics for adolescents and caregivers to access a 50- minute consultation session with Dr. Price. Clients will be able to schedule a time during one of the clinic days, where they are able to discuss any current mental health concerns, learning basic strategies that can be implemented at home and in the community, and to receive recommendations to plan for next steps.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND. This caregiver group involves participation in a Parent Management Training (Kazdin, 2008) program that aims to enhance parenting skills to manage challenging behaviours in children, such as aggression, hyperactivity, and non-compliance. The training will take place virtually in a group session. Handouts will be emailed to participants prior to each scheduled session.

Facing Your Fears (FYF) is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) program for children and youth with ASD who experience significant symptoms of anxiety. This group focuses on helping children and their caregivers in identifying worries, developing coping strategies, and practicing managing anxiety. This group consists of 12 weekly in-person sessions. Caregiver AND child participation in each session is required.

This CBT for Mental Health group is intended for adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder, aged 13 to 18 years, who are interested in learning about their own mental health and ways to cope with difficulties as they arise. The group will focus on increasing knowledge and understanding about one’s own emotions and the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, while learning strategies to better regulate emotions and behaviour in the face of stress and adversity. All materials will be provided to participants. Note: All applicants must undergo an intake interview to determine eligibility.

Following a 1-hour consultation meeting with our on-site BCBA, your child will receive 3 hours of 1:1 follow up service with our clinical team, at our center, for up to 4 weeks. Session dates and times will be arranged with each individual family.

Following a 1-hour consultation meeting with our on-site BCBA, your child will receive 3 hours of 1:1 follow up service with our clinical team, at our center, for up to 4 weeks. Session dates and times will be arranged with each individual family.

Following a consultation with our Board Certified Behaviour Analyst, caregivers will develop a goal for their child. They will then have access to 3 hours of 1:1 coaching and/or continued consultations with the BCBA or Lead ABA Therapist for the following 4 weeks. Consultations will occur via telehealth, phone, and in-person where possible.

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.

The Pretend Play and Language Assessment and Curriculum assesses play skills and accompanying language and provides a behaviourally based curriculum to expand a child’s play repertoire. The assessment and consultation will identify next steps in developing play skills and provide parents with programming to continue to advance their child’s play.

Critical Core is a role playing game that features cooperation between players to achieve goals within the game. Using a game master who facilitates the play, players determine their characters strengths and abilities and use these to work collaboratively with the other players. With a focus on skills that are critical for building relationships and having meaningful social interactions, Critical Core makes learning enjoyable for players.

Individualized targeted 3 session consultation to work on a specific goal. These may include: functional skills such as toileting, eating, hygeine; communication goals (i.e., functional communication); identifying alternatives to disruptive behaviour, etc.

Caregivers often assume that the challenges that they face in helping their children develop healthy daily routines are a part of their child’s autism and must be endured. This workshop provides caregivers an overview of strategies that include the application of behaviour analysis. The use of practical strategies to promote desired behaviour, and a focus on improving the quality of life for the child and their family.

These workshops and consultation series are recommended for families whose child has recently received an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis. After receiving news of a diagnosis, families will navigate through a lot of information to make important decisions about next steps. This series offers 3 workshops, along with 3, 1:1, 30-minute consultations with a BCBA-D. Workshop 1 will provide an overview of various services recommended to families with a child with ASD. Workshop 2 will provide an overview of Autism and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and why ABA is well suited to address ASD. If seeking ABA based services, this information is key for knowing what to look for in providers and how caregiver involvement is key to helping children reach their full potential. Workshop 3 will review things to do as you wait for service that will aid in developing skills and routines in the home to maximize learning from the get-go. The initial consultation is aimed at gathering information that will be pertinent to focusing the workshops on the audience attending, with follow up consultations occurring after Workshop 3 which will focus on implementing ABA strategies in the home with coaching from a BCBA-D.

This workshop provides an opportunity to learn Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) strategies to teach your child play skills that increase and promote language. Teaching communication skills and expanding your child’s language through play increases skill development across many areas maximizing learning opportunities. There are four individual consults with a BCBA-D included with this workshop. These consultations are individualized specific to implement the strategies reviewed at the workshop with your child.

Friendships are key for a healthy development for children and youth. Maintaining and developing friendships can be especially tricky to navigate for children and youth with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This peer group is aimed at teaching and providing participants with opportunities to practice the skills necessary for developing friendships as well as how to maintain friendships. Participants will practice getting to know each other, how to initiate and end conversations, conversation do’s and don’t’s and how to host and be a guest at a play date. Participants will have opportunities to learn these skills while interacting with each other and participating in group games.

Focused ABA targets one or two behavioural goals at a time. You will virtually meet with our BCBA to help develop programming based on identified goals (joint attention, transitions, communication, self-help skills, play skills, etc.). ABA therapists will work 1:1 with your child to help achieve goals. Parents will have the opportunity for BCBA coaching to help generalize learning to the home environment.