Verbal Behaviour Blog

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

Hello Everyone, Our NETwork Behaviour Analyst has just returned from her consultation trip in Australia. She had a fantastic time and was happy to see some old friends as well as meet some new ones. Although the weather was cold each consult was fantastic. Thank you to all of the families and their hospitality during this trip - we are so proud of all of you.

"Great Trade-In" will run from May 28 to June 11 at all stores across the country. Throughout the program, customers returning used cribs, strollers, car seats and travel systems at any Toys "R" Us or Babies "R" Us will receive a coupon entitling them to a discount on a new product from the same categories. Coupons can be transferred to a friend or family member, and can be redeemed any time during the two weeks. Use the following link for more information. http://www.calgaryherald.com/mobile/iphone/news/national/Toys+encourages+Canadians+turn+used+baby+equipment/3074933/story.html