Category Archives: Autism Videos at ACT

How Classmates Can Facilitate Positive Social Behaviors for Children with ASD

Peer Mediated Pivotal Response Treatment

Filmed at Setting the Stage for Success: Positive Behavior Support in School, Home and Community – October 19, 2018

Part of a video learning stream on Positive Behavior Support.

Few evidence-based interventions target social-communication skills for children with autism spectrum disorder in the school setting. Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) has potential for this application. Dr. Boudreau presents the evidence and practical applications for a variation on the common parent delivery model of PRT in which typically developing peers learn new ways to play with their classmates with ASD.

Ainsley Boudreau, PhD, R.Psych.

Ainsley Boudreau is a staff Psychologist at BC Children’s Hospital and works in private practice at Cornerstone Child and Family Psychology Clinic. She has a Master’s degree in School Psychology, and graduated from Dalhousie University with a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Her research aims to advance treatment and other clinical work in neurodevelopmental disorders (primarily ASD, as well as tic/Tourette disorders).

Dr. Boudreau’s Q&A can be viewed as part of the PBS in Schools discussion page.

Part 1: The Importance of Building Social Communication

Part 2: Peer Implemented Pivotal Response Training

Part 3: Strategies to use in Implementation of Peer Mediated Pivotal Response Training

Part 4: Key questions answered by the study

Resources from this presentation

Peer Mediated Pivotal Response Treatment for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review (2015). Ainsley M. Boudreau, Penny Corkum, Katelyn Meko and Isabel M. Smith

Classroom Pivotal Response Teaching for Children with Autism by Aubyn C. Stahmer, Jessica Suhrheinrich, Sarah Reed, Laura Schreibman, and Cynthia Bolduc, 2011

Tier 3 Interventions and Supports – Behavior Technician Training for Paraprofessionals

Filmed at Setting the Stage for Success: Positive Behavior Support in School, Home and Community – October 19, 2018

Part of a video learning stream on Positive Behavior Support.

In British Columbia schools, Tier 3 interventions and supports for students with autism and challenging behaviors are often implemented by individual paraprofessionals in general education classrooms. Implementation fidelity is a key component to the success of positive behavior support plans, and yet many paraprofessionals struggle to utilize proactive and planned support strategies with students exhibiting complex behaviors.

This presentation discusses the process and impact of a program in Surrey School District for training school paraprofessionals based on the BACB’s Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) credential. Presenters provide insight into the design and execution of a multi-component training sequence using didactic instruction, role-play, in vivo modeling, and performance-based feedback, and offer practical recommendations to guide behavioral training for paraprofessionals supporting students with autism in both school and community settings.

Preetinder Narang, MEd, BCBA & Tina Gunn, MEd, BCBA

Preetinder Narang is a District Behavior Specialist and works as part of the District Action Team for Autism (DATA) in the Surrey School District. She has a Masters of Education in Developmental Disabilities with a Concentration in Autism and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Preetinder has over 14 years of experience providing behavioral and consultative services to children and youth with autism and developmental disabilities in home, school, and community settings. Preetinder is a PhD Candidate in Developmental Psychology and Education, Early Learning cohort, at the University of Toronto (OISE) and holds the appointment of Adjunct Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, at the University of British Columbia.

Tina Gunn is a District Behavior Specialist and works as part of the District Action Team for Autism (DATA) in the Surrey School District. She has a Masters of Education in Developmental Disabilities with a Concentration in Autism and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She has over 17 years of experience in the education field as a BC certified teacher and has been providing behavioral and consultative services to children and youth with autism and developmental disabilities since 2009 in clinic, school, and community settings. In addition to providing behavior analytic services to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, Tina participates in designing and delivering training programs to school district staff on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

The Q&A for this presentation can be viewed as part of the PBS in Schools discussion page.

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Behavioral Skills Training

Part 3: Lessons Learned & Recommendations for Implementation

WTF – What’s the Function?

Filmed at Setting the Stage for Success: Positive Behavior Support in School, Home and Community – October 19, 2018

Part of a video learning stream on Positive Behavior Support.

Problem behaviors are one of the greatest barriers to student learning and is a significant problem for school staff and parents alike. Understanding why they occur is critical to developing preventative and educative solutions in-order-to benefit students and those who support them. These videos will dispel myths about why students engage in problem behaviors and teach participants about the four functions of behavior.

Richard Stock, PhD, BCBA-D , Capilano University

Richard Stock, PhD, BCBA-D is a full-time faculty member in the Applied Behavior Analysis – Autism Department at Capilano University.  He has provided behavioral/educational consultative services to children and youth with ASD and other developmental disabilities in home, school and community settings since 1999. 

Dr. Stock teachers courses in Ethics, Behavior Principles, Clinical Applications of ABA, Instructional Methods, and the Conceptual Analysis of Behavior. In addition to his work at Capilano University, he also teaches graduate courses in ABA as an Assistant Professor at the University of Western Ontario and Adjunct Faculty at UBC. 

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Breaking the Cycle of Problem Behavior

Part 3: Problem Behavior in the Past

Part 4: Potential Negative Effects of Punishment

Part 5: Functions of Behavior

Part 6: Name That Function! – Identifying the function of problem behavior

Part 7: Conclusion and Q&A

Practical Ways to Decrease Challenging Behaviors in School, Home and Community Settings

Filmed at ACT’s Setting the Stage for Success: Positive Behavior Support in School, Home and Community– October 19, 2018

Part of a video learning stream on Positive Behavior Support.

Dr. Lynn Kern Koegel, respected internationally for her research and clinical practice, discusses various intervention procedures for decreasing challenging behaviors. The emphasis is on Positive Behavior Support procedures that are coordinated, multi-component, and systematically implemented throughout the day. Dr. Kern Koegel also provides many example of how challenging behaviors can be avoided in the first place. This presentation will appeal to both professionals and families for its reliance on important research as well as respect for individuals with autism and challenging behaviors.

Lynn Kern Koegel, PhD, CCC-SLP, Clinical Professor, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, California

Dr. Kern Koegel has been active in the development of programs to improve communication in children with autism for over 40 years. In addition to her published books and articles in the area of communication and language development, she has developed and published procedures and field manuals in the area of self-management and functional analysis that are used in school districts and by parents throughout the United States, as well as translated to other major languages.

Dr. Lynn Kern Koegel is the co-author of “Overcoming Autism: Finding the Answers, Strategies, and Hope That Can Transform a Child’s Life ” and “Growing Up on the Spectrum: A Guide to Life, Love, and Learning for Teens and Young Adults with Autism and Asperger’s”, published by Viking/Penguin. Dr, Kern Koegel and her husband, Robert Koegel, are the developers of Pivotal Response Treatment, which focuses on motivation. The Koegels have been the recipients of many awards, including the first annual Children’s Television Workshop Sesame Street Award for “Brightening the Lives of Children”, the first annual Autism Speaks award for “Science and Research” and the International ABA award for “enduring programmatic contributions in behavior analysis.”

Part 1: Introduction to PBS for Challenging Behavior

Part 2: Functional Behavior Assessments, Assessing the Curriculum

Part 3: Developing Meaningful Activities, Priming

Part 4: Re-Direction, Giving warning, Using Strengths, Physical Exercise, Systematic Desensitization, Coordination Across Environments, Parent Education

Part 5: Summary and Q&A

Setting Priorities for Future Research – A Panel Discussion

Panel presentation introduced and moderated by Dr. Anthony Bailey Chair of Adolescent and Child Psychiatry, University of British Columbia

Filmed at ACT’s 14th Annual Focus on Research Conference – April 4, 2018

Part 1: Introduction & Carly Erikson

Carly Eirikson – Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD), B.C.

Carly Eirikson currently works as an Education and Behaviour Consultant for POPARD and as an instructor for the Richmond Educational Assistant Program. She completed a M.Ed. in Autism and Developmental Disorders from the University of British Columbia and has worked as a Resource Teacher and an elementary classroom teacher.

Part 2: Dr. Rene Jamison

Dr. Rene Jamison – University of Kansas, USA

Dr. Rene Jamison is an Associate Professor and licensed psychologist in pediatrics at the Center for Child Health and Development (CCHD), University of Kansas Medical Center.

Part 3: Vivian Ly

Vivian Ly – Autistics United Canada

Vivian Ly is an autistic self-advocate and the Executive Director of Autistics United Canada (formerly Canadian Autistics United), a grassroots disability rights organization that “works to improve the lives of autistic people. Vivian is currently a Behavioural Neuroscience student at SFU and a strong proponent of “Nothing about us, without us!”

Part 4: Stephany Berinstein

Stephany Berinstein – Occupational Therapist, Gastown Vocational Services, B.C.

StephanyBernstein is an Occupational Therapist and the Program Coordinator for Gastown Vocational Services, The Art Studios, and consults with SpectrumWorks. Stephany specializes in mental health and vocational rehabilitation. She leads a vocational rehabilitation program, using best practices to support mental wellness and meaningful, sustainable employment.

Part 5: Dr. Grace Iarocci

Dr. Grace Iarocci – Simon Fraser University, B.C.

Grace Iarocci, PhD., R. Psych. is a Professor of Psychology at Simon Fraser University, and Director of the Autism and Developmental Disorders Lab. She is a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar.

Part 6: Dr. William Mandy

Dr. William Mandy – University College London, UK

Dr. William Mandy is a clinical psychologist and senior lecturer at University College London (UCL). His work aims to improve the recognition of autism, and to develop new interventions to help autistic people.

Part 7: Q&A

Did friendships persist in the GNO program between girls in the program? (00:13 – 02:01)
How can we improve the transition for teens and young adults who age out of the system, and may need community services and supports, and may need their parents involved? Are there research priorities that could help with this problem? (02:01 – 08:13)
How should we as parents respond to professionals who question our daughters ASD diagnosis? (08:15 – 10:00)
Who’s responsibility is it to educate professionals about autism? (10:00 – 15:40)
Summing up Focus on Research 2018: Women and Girls with Autism – Anthony Bailey (15:40 – 21:50)