Autism Awareness Centre hosts conferences across Canada and the UK, while ensuring books, articles and resource supports are readily available to all communities keeping parents and professionals on the cutting edge of new information. Autism Awareness Centre is leading the way because we “believe in change”.
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Thursday, January 28, 2021 – 10 am – 11 am (Mountain Time)
Featuring Leslie Broun
When Leslie began working with students with autism in 1988, there was very little information available on what to teach or how to teach it, but gradually, through the 1990’s, thanks to individuals like Temple Grandin, autism became more understood and part of the educational discourse. In this webinar, Leslie will discuss her specific influences in developing teaching skills, in particular – literacy, for students with autism. One of the most significant of these is the role of neuroscience, which we can neither ignore nor underestimate in conceptualizing instruction, e.g. how irregularities in the brains of persons with autism can affect elements of social understanding and thus, reading comprehension.
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Thursday, February 11, 2021 – 10 am – 11 am (Mountain Time)
Featuring Dr. Brenda Smith Myles
This session will briefly overview some of the neurological research and autism spectrum disorder in laymen’s terms. Specifically, brain research related to academics/learning, social, sensory, and regulation will be addressed. This research will then be linked to practical, easy-to-use evidenced-based interventions that can help autistic students learn.
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Thursday, February 25, 2021 – 10 am – 11 am (Mountain Time)
Featuring Paula Aquilla, OT
Parents and children are spending more time together during COVID. Schools have been closed and restrictions have been made on community spaces, making home ‘the space’ for everyone. In this webinar, you will learn what to consider when designing your space and how to enlist your child in designing the space they will use. The same space can have more than one purpose – learn how to change the space with multiple purposes in mind.
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Featuring Dr. Cathy Pratt
Individuals on the spectrum can present numerous challenges to the professionals and family members who support them. However, when an individual also has a mental health issue the support needs can be more complex and complicated. Starting with an understanding and strategies for assessing behaviors, practical strategies will be presented that address the whole child, including the role of trauma and stress in a child’s life and how to promote self-regulation.
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Featuring Kerry Mataya
Ever wondered how to effectively teach a person with ASD how to have a meaningful back-and-forth conversation? Do you have a student that jumps in at the wrong time or on the wrong topic? Are you having difficulty teaching conversation in today’s pandemic? During the webinar, Ms. Mataya will use resources from Talk with Me: A Step-by-Step Conversation Framework for Teaching Conversational Balance and Fluency to help attendees develop immediate strategies for teaching conversation skills to high functioning students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in both school and home settings.
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Featuring Maureen Bennie
When school has ended and the adulthood journey begins, families and individuals with ASD can feel overwhelmed trying to navigate services and supports that are needed to make this transition a successful one. This webinar will cover a variety of areas of adulthood including transition planning, supports, further education options, preparing for work, housing options and developing leisure time interests.
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Featuring Bo Hejlskov Elvén
Working with or parenting an autistic person often involves episodes of challenging behaviour. If can be anything from refusing to do what you want the person to do to self harm and hitting, biting and screaming. Often we manage that by using force or coercion, which is both counter productive and out right dangerous. This webinar proposes a model of working with challenging behaviour that emphasizes three consecutive phases.
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With Lauren Kerstein’s presentation, attendees will learn how to identify characteristics of anxiety in their child or adolescent. Participants will receive concrete, practical strategies for increasing emotion regulation skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. These strategies will apply to home, community, and school settings.
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Featuring Brenda Smith Myles
This course provides you with increased understanding and knowledge of autism spectrum disorder as well as simple and effective practical strategies for helping children with ASD feel safe, accepted and competent. Covering a variety of areas including anxiety and stress, challenging behaviors, stretching comfort zones, social competence, and learning.
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Featuring Elizabeth Sautter
Purchase this instructional video recorded from our webinar with Elizabeth Sautter which focuses on how to empower parents to embrace teachable moments through everyday routines and activities to boost their social, emotional, and executive function.
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This webinar defines executive function (EF) and discusses how EF challenges are manifested. Emphasizing the importance of effective time management in learner success, Carol Burmeister will provide time management strategies that can be used for a wide variety of learners.
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Welcome to Maureen Bennie’s and Autism Awareness Centre’s webinar on strategies and tips for being at home during COVID-19! Agenda: – Welcome and Introductions – How things have changed – 10 Things We Can Do – Resources – Question and Answers – Closing Remarks
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Featuring Kelly Mahler
Purchase this instructional video recorded from the extremely popular webinar with Kelly Mahler where she defines interoception; discusses the impact it has on behavior, regulation, and mental health; and provides a few interoception-building strategies that can be used for a wide variety of learners.
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Maureen Bennie’s recording of her webinar on teaching toileting – how to get started and make progress.
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Todd Germain, Michelle DeFelice Haverly, Sarah Olivieri and Valerie Paradiz
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Conferences and workshops provided by the Autism Awareness Centre (AACI) are designed to provide all parents and professionals with up-to-date and relevant information, and resources and skills that can be immediately implemented into the care and training of those who have autism or other related disabilities.
We offer a comprehensive list of autism related resources, links, and tools for Canada, the United States, the UK, and beyond. Click a region to view an extensive listing of autism resources and organizations to help you navigate pervasive development disorders (PDD), and ASD.
Last post: January 27, 2021
The health and safety of our autism community and beyond is at the forefront for Autism Awareness Centre Inc. For the first time in our 17 years as a company, we had to cancel our April conferences in Ottawa, ON and Halifax, NS. Gatherings for any purpose must not take place during this global response to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result of these recent events, Autism Awareness Centre Inc. (AACI) has been hard hit. Conferences, trainings and sales from our bookstore are what keep us going as we operate with no sponsorship, funding or grants of any kind. There are small things you can do to help us keep going and continue the global work that we do.
We are taking steps to offer new ways of learning. For example, we have launched a series of inexpensive E-books with more to come. We will offer webinars in the near future to support on-going development and education for families and professionals.
If you need any resources, we have a wide selection of products in our bookstore. The proceeds from the bookstore go directly back into AACI operations. We are continuing to process orders quickly and efficiently. Please order from us if you need something.
When we can offer our conferences and trainings again, please support them by attending. We will continue to offer a wide variety of topic and world class speakers at our conferences across Canada.
Thank you for your kind words of support during this difficult time for all of us. I am still here writing, answering your e-mails, and posting important information on our Facebook page. If you need any help, I will continue to do my best to find answers for you. Stay safe and stay well in these uncertain times we are facing.
Sincerely,
Maureen