My child is becoming a Teenager: Now What?’ – An informative presentation about female or male puberty and how it relates to your child with special needs.

Objectives of the presentation:
- To provide education about what is happening to your child in terms of puberty
- To enable you to assess where your child is at and if they are ready for building their independence in a variety of skills
- To provide you with the language in order to have a comfortable and confident conversation with your child

*Webinar link will be sent out after every registration

An opportunity to explore what is “picky eating” as well as some common causes and strategies you can use at home to help introduce new foods, encourage food exploration and help mealtimes become more enjoyable.

*A webinar link will be sent out after each registration

This presentation will help parents learn easy and simple ways to introduce the use of symbols for functional communication into their everyday activities at home. Parents will also learn about beneficial aided language strategies to help their child learn to communicate using symbols. There will also be some demonstration of various types of communication devices and communication apps that are designed to help children with their communication. This presentation is intended for children of all ages, who may be non-verbal or have communication abilities that are not meeting their communication needs (less verbal).

This presentation will help you make the best of your everyday interactions with your child, to support the development of their communication in their early years. The communication strategies highlighted in this presentation are easy to use and incorporate into daily routines such as snack time, bath time, etc. This presentation is intended for early communicators (ages 2-5), who may be verbal or non-verbal.

Participants learn a variety of visual learning tools they can implement at home to support their child’s independence and learning. The session will focus on creating and utilizing; visual schedules, first/then boards, and visual task analyses. Parents/Caregivers will be given the opportunity to create their own visual with the support of a therapist.

Parent/Caregiver Workshop for children preparing to transition into Kindergarten or Grade 1.

Start the countdown to school by setting up your child for a successful transition into their new classroom. This workshop will address the challenges children face during this major milestone in their life and focus on the different skills that will help your family have a smooth and exciting start to the year. Participants will explore a variety of evidence-based tools and strategies for developing early self-regulation, self-care routines, as well as social and play skills.

Session 1 Establishing Self-Care Routines (toileting, dressing etc.)

Session 2 Developing Early Self-Regulation Skills

Session 3 Building Social and Play Skills

Conversation Cues is an 11-week evidence-based social skills program delivered virtually for students aged 9 – 17 years of age.

Topics include:
- When to start a conversation
- How to start a conversation
- Take turns appropriately
- Maintain conversation with peers
- Talk on topic
- Identifies disbelief & responds appropriately
- Identifies confused, bored, not interested vs. interested & responds appropriately
- Learn how to identify your cues
- How to end a conversation

Sessions will include 30 minutes of information about impacts of ASD, as well as 30 minutes for discussion and questions. This group is well suited for individuals who are aware of their diagnosis and are interested in learning more about ASD while connecting with other teens with ASD.

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!

PEERS is a 14-week evidence-based social skills program delivered virtually 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)

Triple P - Stepping Stones is a parent education course that is ideal for caregiver’s with children aged 2-12.
Course Content:

Session 1: Positive parenting
This session provides parents with an introduction to positive parenting, causes of challenging behaviour, setting goals for change, and how to keep track of children’s behaviour.

Session 2: Promoting children’s development
During this session, the practitioner discusses how to develop positive relationships with children and how to encourage desirable behaviour.

Session 3: Teaching new skills and behaviours
This session teaches parents a range of techniques to teach their children a range of skills within the domains of communication, problem-solving, self-care, and self-regulation.

Session 4: Managing misbehavior and parenting routines
During this session, the practitioner offers strategies to assist parents with managing challenging behaviour. Parents will also learn to develop parenting routines to encourage children to follow instructions.

Session 5: Planning ahead
This session covers family survival tips, identifying high-risk situations, and developing planning ahead routines to implement over the next few weeks. Parents also schedule and prepare for the telephone or in-person consultations.

Session 6-8: Implementing parenting routines 1-3 (Phone or in-person consultations)
The sessions begin with the practitioner providing assessment feedback to parents and noting progress that has been made. Then the sessions are designed to assist parents in implementing behaviour change strategies in high-risk home and community situations (e.g. traveling on public transport, haircuts, therapy sessions). The practitioner uses the self-regulatory feedback model to help parents identify goals for change and a problem-solving approach is used to assist parents to fine-tune any areas of difficulty.

Session 9: Program close
Parents return for a final group session to review progress, look at ways to maintain changes, problem solve for the future, and to bring closure to the program.

GJCC Skill Building Consultative ABA services (using the techniques and strategies of Applied Behaviour Analysis – ABA) can help individuals learn new skills. Individualized plans will include 1 general ABA Skill Building Goal.

This service can be delivered virtual or in-person at home, daycare or school with consent

Some examples are:
• Improving social skills, taking turns
• Following a schedule with the support of visuals
• Using reinforcement to teach new skills
• Creating social narrative to support a social situation
• Strategies for managing strong emotions

You will guide the process.
Together, we will talk about your needs, goal, 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 goals, we will observe your child/youth to see his/her current strengths and needs. One of our Behaviour Therapists will create an individualized 8-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.
There are also opportunities for caregiver mediated coaching throughout the 8 week sessions.

All services can be delivered virtually or in-person.

Beginner Zones will focus on identifying emotions and the Zones of Regulation®. Flexible thinking, inner coaching, and calming strategies will be explored virtually.

The Next Step (8-12 year olds) will review emotions and zones and focus on the identification of moving through the zones. Strategies to increase ability to self-calm, increase alertness, and increase awareness of potential triggers.

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 challenging behaviours. Individualized plans may include 1-2 goals, which are then broken into smaller steps through teaching strategies. Some examples are:

• Improving social skills, taking turns
• Managing strong emotions
• Following instructions, transitioning between activities, following a schedule
• Learning to care for personal needs, like: getting dressed, teeth brushing
• Communication

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 goals, 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 week sessions. All services can be delivered virtually or in-person, as determined in collaboration with your child/youth’s Behaviour Clinician (BCBA).

Conversation Cues is an 11-week evidence-based social skills program delivered virtually for students aged 9 – 17 years of age.

Topics include:
When to start a conversation
How to start a conversation
Take turns appropriately
Maintain conversation with peers
Talk on topic
Identifies disbelief & responds appropriately
Identifies confused, bored, not interested vs. interested & responds appropriately
Learn how to identify your cues
How to end a conversation

Beginner Zones will focus on identifying emotions and the Zones of Regulation®. Flexible thinking, inner coaching, and calming strategies will be explored virtually.

The Next Step (8-12 year olds) will review emotions and zones and focus on the identification of moving through the zones. Strategies to increase ability to self-calm, increase alertness, and increase awareness of potential triggers.

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.

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.  Caregiver’s 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 in the exciting new world of social opportunities. 

Facilitators will complete a pre-screening tool with families expressing an interest in participating.

PEERS is a 14-week evidence-based social skills program delivered virtually 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)

Register for 1 session or all 11, as each session will be different interactive fun activities. Sibshops is an opportunity for the siblings of children with ASD to meet other siblings in a relaxed, recreational setting. In a fun and relaxing atmosphere, facilitators will provide opportunities to discuss common joys and concerns, how to handle commonly experienced situations, and a venue to learn more about the implication of their siblings’ special needs.

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.

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.