January 14, 2016
February is Psychology Month and our staff in in Psychology have presentations available for families and staff to attend. More free talks are available throughout the city, visit the Manitoba Psychological Society’s website, www.mps.ca for more information.
Fitting-In Social Skills Training Program
Presenter: Leigh-Ann Jones, MADS/ABA
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 24, 2016
6:00-8:00 pm
St.Amant, 440 River Road, 4th Floor Classroom
The Fitting-In: Social Skills Training Program is a 12-week intervention program designed for adolescents with high-functioning ASD with typically developing peers as the tutors. This was a school based intervention and training sessions were held weekly two hours in duration and took place across the lunch break and one classroom period. The program also incorporated evening outings within the community for generalization of skills. During the workshop the facilitator will share the training package and topics, these include introducing oneself to others, conversation skills, conversation manners, joining a group, making friends, self-awareness, bullying and teasing, giving and receiving complements, social interaction and initiation, and dealing with conflicts. Training methods (e.g., using role play and video clips), will be discussed and training materials (e.g., tracking sheets and questionnaires) will also be shown during the workshop. Audience will have the chance to practice some of the training strategies through group activities and team work. At the end of the session the findings from the initial research will be presented. Results showed significant improvements on several specific social skills and an overall trend towards improvement across the skills taught. This workshop will benefit families and school support teams who are working with individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorders.
Presenter Bio: Leigh-Ann Jones earned her BA in Psychology minoring in Special Education, at Concordia University, Montreal, QC, and went on to receive her Master Degree in Applied Disability Studies and Applied Behaviour Analysis, from Brock University, Saint Catharines, Ont.
Leigh-Ann has been working in the field of child development/education for over 20 years. Her roles over the past 20 years have included: nanny, pre-school teacher, coordinator and trainer of programs for girls with Rett Syndrome, Integration Assistant, IBI therapist, Special Education Technician, Behaviour Technician, Special Needs Family Support Specialist, and Autism Consultant.
Leigh-Ann is currently working for Saint Amant Autism Programs. Previously organisations she has worked for are the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development for the province of Prince Edward Island, Lester B Pearson School Board, Montreal QC, and the private practice of Dr Sylvie Donais, Montreal, QC.
Stopping the Chaos: How using Daily Schedules can be Beneficial!
Presenter: Mr. Christopher Villing and Ms. Jennifer Thorsteinsson
Date/Time: Thursday, February 18, 2016
6:00-7:00 pm
St.Amant, 440 River Road, East Dining Room
AND
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
12:00-1:00 pm
St.Amant, 440 River Road, West Dining Room
Are those you care for completing essential activities? Are activities being refused? Are there challenging behaviours? Is your day filled with chaos?
This presentation will focus on how to effectively use schedules to promote predictability and structure. Topics in this presentation will include: What is a daily schedule and how do I make one? Who can benefit from daily schedules? How do daily schedules work and will they assist with challenging behaviours? A daily schedule is beneficial for everyone and each person’s daily schedule should reflect their own individualized life-style and level of functioning. This presentation will be most helpful for people seeking strategies for individuals with developmental disabilities or autism and school age children.
Presenter Bio: Christopher Villing has been working for Psychology Services since November 2013. He studied Psychology at the University of Winnipeg and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Honours in 2003. Christopher started his St.Amant path in the Community Residential Program as a Support Worker in 1999. During his career at St.Amant, Christopher has worked as a Keyworker, a Team Leader and joined the Psychology team in November 2013 as a Behaviour Technician.
Jennifer Thorsteinsson is a Behaviour Analyst with St.Amant Clinical Services. Ms. Thorsteinsson has been working with individuals with developmental disabilities and autism for 20 years and had been employed by St.Amant since 2007. She graduated from Capella University in 2007 with a Master’s in Clinical Psychology.