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Sabrina Freeman's Guide to Autism Treatments
Available here
Setting up an ABA team? Information on hiring and running a team here www.asdfunding.com
Parenting in the World of Autism
Last Session is May 3! Drop ins welcome!
View more info here
Last updated: 2011-06-22
Past ABA SN Meetings
June 2011
Topic: Parent Networking Event
Join us for an evening dedicated to parents. Come to meet each other and share successes and frustrations about autism and ABA. Experienced parents will be on hand to help answer questions.
May 2011
Topic: Social Skills for Children with ASD – An Inclusive Approach
Guest Speaker: Bohdanna Popowycz Kvam, M.Ed, BCBA
This presentation is for parents and educators that are reflecting and looking for basic strategies for an inclusive classroom: therefore benefiting all children!
The presentation will include:
- What are some different kinds of social classifications
- What is the 'real' reason for friendships?
- How can we develop them at school, home and social groups?
- How do we support our learners to keep on learning and striving for social success?
Bohdanna Popowycz Kvam M.Ed BCBA is a behavioural consultant specializing in Lovaas style ABA for children with autism. She trained and worked with a Lovaas Replication Site for 10 years and was involved in opening clinics in the United States and in the U.K. In September of 2007 Bohdanna and colleagues opened Harmony House Preschool, an inclusive preschool for children with autism and their peers. Currently Bohdanna serves as the Executive Director of Harmony House which has grown into a clinical facility that focuses on families and supports and supervision in home settings, social groups, homeschool club and parent support groups.
April 2011
Topic: The Birds and the Bees and ASD
Guest Speaker: Kathryn Theroux, MS, RCC
Kathryn Theroux, behavior consultant and registered clinical counselor, will join ABA Support Network on Thursday April 28 to discuss the challenging subject of sexuality and autism spectrum disorders. She will address whether and when to have "the talk," what to say, and how to say it, leaving plenty of time for audience input and questions.
Please join us to learn about this key aspect of human development and its impact on the treatment, education, and quality of life of individuals with ASD.
March 2011
Topic: Social and Friendship Skills for Children with Autism
Guest Speakers: Bohdanna Popowycz Kvam, M.Ed BCBA and Michele Shilvock M.Ed
Bohdanna and Michele will discuss the ins and outs of how to work collaboratively with the school to build in generalization and growth of social skills for children of all skill levels. They will be addressing strategies for both elementary and high school settings. They will also focus on providing strategies and tips that parents can leave with and apply right away.
Bohdanna Popowycz Kvam, M.Ed BCBA and Michele Shilvock M.Ed are behaviour consultants with many years experience both here and abroad. Bohdanna began her career in the early 1990's in the United States working at a Lovaas Replication Site which then took her to England and then here to Canada. Michele is a native Canadian who began her career as a social worker until her passion for autism changed her focus towards working in early intervention. Together Bohdanna and Michele have established social programming, homework clubs and family supports at Harmony House, a non profit charitable organization that supports children and families with autism both in home and at the centre.
February 2011
Topic: ABA at Home – How to be Evidence-Based: Research for Common Parenting Problems
Guest Speaker: Katie Allen,M.S., BCBA, ABLE Development Clinic
In this discussion Katie will cover what it means to run an evidence-based ABA program for your child and how understanding the research can lead to big gains in your home ABA program. Common parenting concerns will be discussed, research reviewed, and examples given of how to translate the research into practical changes at home.
Katie Allen,M.Sc. BCBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with the Association for Behavior Analysis. Her Master of Science degree in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) was obtained through Northeastern University, Boston MA. Katie spent three years at the New England Center for Children, a leading day and residential program for children with autism in the United States. She moved to Vancouver to design and implement individualized home based ABA programs for children with autism and other developmental disabilities, with a focus on children with severe behavioural challenges.
January 2011
Topic: The Prevention of Maltreatment
Guest Speaker: Dr. Sara White, PhD, BCBA
Individuals with developmental disabilities are at particularly high risk of becoming the victim of physical or sexual abuse. The maltreatment may come from peers, caretakers, educators and anyone else with whom the individual may have contact in private. This presentation will discuss risk factors, warning signs and ways to minimize the risk.
Sara completed her master’s degree in applied behavior analysis at the University of the Pacific (2000) and doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Binghamton University (2005). She has worked at the Institute for Child Development under the direction of Dr. Raymond Romanczyk. Additionally, she has presented several posters and papers at the Association for Behavior Analysis, the California Association for Behavior Analysis, the New York Association for Behavior Analysis and the British Columbia Association for Behavior Analysis on topics ranging from interventions to improve employee motivation to techniques to improve acquisition rates in children with autism. She has also presented several workshops on behavior management techniques to parents, school personnel, and health care professionals. She is currently a private behavioral consultant working with children of all ages with autism spectrum disorders.
December 2010
No meeting was scheduled.
November 2010
Topic: Social and Friendship Skills
Cancelled due to inclement weather and hazardous driving conditions.
October 2010
Topic: Autism - Now What Do I Do?
Guest Speaker: Parent Panel
Parents, grandparents, friends and family members are welcome to join in a discussion about autism and what to do after receiving the diagnosis. This is a difficult time for any parent or relative trying to come to terms with the diagnosis, what it means and what steps to take next. Experienced parents will be on hand to lend support and provide information on what steps to take to get an ABA treatment program established for your child.
If you are starting a new ABA program or just want to connect and network with other parents, please join us at this meeting.
September 2010
Topic: Celebration of Life for Dr. Ivar Lovaas
Guest Speakers: Dr. Glen Davies, Director of ABLE Developmental Clinic, Dr. Sabrina Freeman, Parent and Founding Director of FEAT-BC [Families for Early Autism Treatment of BC], Jean Lewis, Parent and Founding Director of FEAT-BC [Families for Early Autism Treatment of BC]
Lovaas, a distinguished professor of psychology at UCLA, a pioneer in the research and development of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy to treat children with autism, and the founder of the Lovaas Institute, died on August 2nd at age 83.
Parents and professionals in BC will gather on this special evening to pay tribute to Dr Lovaas. Come learn about the history of Lovaas and ABA as a treatment for autism.
Hear from the parents who founded FEAT of BC, brought ABA treatment into this province and continue to fight for universal access to science based treatment for all individuals who need it. Thanks to litigation by parents in the past we are able to access funding for autism services today.
Share your own story about what Lovaas and ABA has done for you and your family.
