Designing Sensory Spaces for Children and Teens at Home

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.

Understanding and Supporting Children with ASD for a Positive Future

Thursday, March 11, 2021 – 10 am – 11 am (Mountain Time)

Featuring Maureen Bennie

How we support children with ASD today affects future outcomes. By increasing our knowledge of ASD, understanding learning difficulties and strengths, and effectively addressing core concerns such as communication, sensory issues and challenging behavior, we can create positive, trusting relationships that foster happiness and well-being. So how do we get there? This webinar explores a number of ways to provide the best support for children, while also understanding that what we do today can build a positive future.

Using the SPELL Framework to Understand, Respond, and Work Effectively with Children and Adults on the Autism Spectrum

Thursday, March 25, 2021 – 10 am – 11 am (Mountain Time)

Featuring Richard Mills

This webinar will discuss the SPELL Framework, initially developed by the UK’s National Autistic Society (NAS), and how it promotes a better understanding and response from people who are supporting and caring for autistic children and adults.

The Brain and Autism: Linking Neurology and Interventions to Address Academic and Behavior Challenges

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.

Teaching Literacy Skills to Students with Autism – Reflections and Foundations

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.

Supporting Individuals on the Autism Spectrum with Co-occurring Mental Health Issues

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.

Helpful Tips and Resources for Teaching Conversation Skills to High Functioning Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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.

School’s Out Forever – Navigating Adult Life: How to Plan and Get There

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.

Manage, Evaluate, Change – A Model for Working with Challenging Behaviour

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.

Supporting Anxiety in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Featuring Lauren H. Kerstein

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.

Understanding Practical Strategies And Big Ideas For Supporting Autistic Children

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.

10 Strategies to Teach Social/Emotional Learning for the Current Home Environment

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.

Strengthen Executive Function Skills: Strategies to Teach Time Management

Featuring Carol Burmeister

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.

10 Ways to Cope with Changes During COVID-19 and Beyond

Featuring Maureen Bennie

Welcome to Maureen Bennie’s and Autism Awareness Centre’s webinar on strategies and tips for being at home during COVID-19!

Interoception, The Eighth Sense Webinar – Impact on Behavior, Regulation and Positive Mental Health

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.