Verbal Behaviour Blog

This month NETwork Intervention will be discussing Autism. What are the symptoms, assessments and available interventions.

We look forward to your comments and questions.

The causes of autism are still unknown and research is ongoing. However, research suggests that genetic factors may be involved and there is also some evidence to show that the condition may be linked to environmental factors, such as pollution or viruses. It currently looks as though there may be various environmental factors which trigger a genetic predisposition leading to autism.

Autism is characterized by impaired communication, impaired socialization and restrictive and repetitive behaviours. The individual will often have too much of one behaviour, such as repetitive behavior, or too little of another, such as language or social skills. Individuals can be severely affected or grapple with a few struggles. 

For more information on causes and symptoms of autism go to our pages on autism and autistic spectrum disorder:
http://verbal-behaviour-consultants.com/autism.htm
http://verbal-behaviour-consultants.com/autistic-spectrum-disorder.htm

Hello Everyone,
For those of you in the Ottawa area I thought this might be of intersest. Sounds like a lot of fun!!!!
 

Please note that starting September, Special Needs Bowling will take place every THURSDAY.
Our first Fall Session will take place on September,2,2010
At this time, we would like to hear back from those who are interested, the time frame which is most suitable.  Please e mail me at logme@rogers.com, to indicate your preferred time in reference to the choices provided below:

4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
5:00 - 6:00 p.m. 

Special Needs Bowling includes school-age children, teens and adults.
Cost is $5:00
Shoes are free
Merivale Bowling Centre is located at 1916 Merivale Road.

As per usual summer is flying by in Canada and most of us will kick ourselves for not spending more time outside while we could when fall rolls around. The one good thing about July ending and August starting is the Penn State National Autism Conference in Pennsylvania State.

http://www.outreach.psu.edu/programs/autism/

I have been fortunate enough to attend this conference on two occasions and highly recommend it. It is an incredible chance to learn more information and network as well as meet many of the big names in the field. Seeing Carbone and Sundberg speak for the first  time was an amazing experience for me.

Unfortunately I will be unable to attend this year but would love to hear as much about it as possible. If you attend please post about your experience.

This week NETwork discusses the 7 dimensions of Applied Behaviour Analysis: Applied: ABA focuses on areas that are of social significance. How will behaviour change affect the individual as well as those that interact with the individual. Does the behaviour change make sense in the “real world”. Change must improve someone's life. http://verbal-behaviour-consultants.com/pdf-download/what_is_ABA.pdf

We are here to help!! Join our yahoo group for global support. http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/vbmatters Whether it be a serious situation or you just want to know how a Canadian deals with a child in -40 degree weather, we are here to chat.

Who is your support? Who is your shoulder to cry on? Person you ask for advice? Take a second to give a shout out to those important people in your life!

At times more than family and friends is required to help you through difficult times. Having a professional to guide and support you is always a fantastic option. http://kadayer.co.uk/

Hello Everyone, It is finally summer in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada with temperatures reaching highs of 35 degrees. With no ocean in sight (oh how I miss my year living on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland) I am thankful for air conditioning and ice. I have recently returned to the extreme heat of Canada after nearly a month in Australia. It was quite a strange experience to be leaving the heat of Canada and entering the cold of Australia as for most of the year it is the other way around. My weeks in Australia, as per usual, were fantastic. I had the opportunity to meet up with many familiar faces as well as meet some new ones. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and thank you to everyone for going above and beyond to feed my incredibly challenging gluten and dairy free diet. I ate better while away than I would normally eat at home. I also learned how to make pancakes out of nothing but bananas and eggs which absolutely changed my mornings forever. During this trip I was overwhelmed with pride for the incredible work all of our families are doing. I am so fortunate to have been a part of each of these families lives for a few days and watch as loving parents and children interacted with smiles on their faces. All of you are absolutely fantastic at implementing programming and it shows in the progress with your children. Thank you for reading P.S. As a side note I have provided a link for what I thought was a funny article involving Canada and Australia. We both have a Sydney which apparently causes confusion for some travel agents – enjoy the article and the chuckle it will hopefully bring. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/atlantic/italian-couple-headed-down-under-end-up-in-sydney-ns-instead/article1634677/

Dealing with the struggles and triumphs of each day can be exhausting and exhilarating but one thing we know for sure is that having support from family members and friends is an important ingredient to a balanced and fulfilling life. NETwork will spend this week exploring support and how it improves programming and day to day living for those struggling with or living with a person who requires extra support. We encourage you to join us in these discussions and look forward to your comments.

31st July sees the launch of a number of new functions on the VBC website:

• upload videos for us to review
• book workshops online in real time
• vb forum - discuss your needs and experiences with others