Alexandra Voroshina, MA, BCBA – Behavioral Consultant, Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD)

Georgina Robinson, PhD – Principal, Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD)

One of the greatest challenges faced by school district staff is how to teach students when they have persistent difficulty following instructions. Gaining student cooperation is vital to set the groundwork for learning in an inclusive classroom. In this one-day presentation, Alexandra Voroshina and Dr. Georgina Robinson will present an overview of POPARD’s Student Cooperation Training (SCT) Model. This approach to intervention, rooted in Behavior Skills Training and Applied Behavior Analysis creates lasting change and increases capacity across multiple layers of the school system. It targets an individual student, but includes training the classroom and school team, and requires district staff to participate and then replicate the model with support from POPARD.

The original seven-district POPARD pilot project of the SCT Model demonstrated that targeting skill development of school and district staff resulted in:

• An increase from an average of 30% to an average of 80% in successful teaching techniques.
• Growth in teacher confidence as a result of their students demonstrating positive behaviour change – the pre-requisite for learning.
• Consistent improvement in student skills, as demonstrated by acquisition data.
• Increased quality of life reported by family members, in both home and school environments.

The original pilot has now been expanded to three additional districts as part of this new service now being offered by POPARD.

Through this multimedia presentation, participants will learn how the Student Cooperation Training Model can help build capacity across the province. The components of training and outcomes will be outlined. There will be the opportunity to discuss ways in which POPARD can support, through the involvement of its educational consultants, the implementation of this model in the school environment, with ample opportunity for performance feedback.

Join us at the Simon Fraser University’s beautiful downtown Vancouver Harbour Centre campus or join via live web-streaming from your office, home or school.

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Free web streaming registration for school districts teams

School Districts in BC are eligible to register their entire district, watching as a group on one screen, via web stream viewing, at no cost, thanks to sponsorship from Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD). Individual school district participants can register for $50 each. To sign up your district for this offer, contact your POPARD District Partner using the District Partner contact list.

Deadline for submissions of school district registrants is October 11th. You must register to receive a Certificate of Online Attendance.

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Save the date: Upcoming ACT Events

November 15, 2019
Introduction to Navigating BC’s School System
A POPARD Presentation

November 22, 2019
Supporting Indigenous Families Affected by Autism through Engagement and Research
ACT’s 2019 Focus on Research Gathering

November 29, 2019
Behaviors and Mental Health – an Introduction for Families of Children with Diverse Needs
A POPARD Presentation

Wednesday & Thursday 

September 25 & 26, 2019
Surrey, BC

View details & registration

Web-streaming to BC & Alberta
In-person seats are sold-out!

Sarah Ward, MS, CCC-SLP

Co-Director, Cognitive Connections LLP, Boston

Sarah Ward, MS, CCC-SLP, is coming to Surrey to teach hands-on practical strategies to improve Executive Function skills. These two days include many new strategies, so whether you’ve seen Sarah Ward before, or this is all new, you’re sure to walk away with fresh strategies that you can implement immediately.

Sarah Ward is the co-developer of the award-winning 360 Thinking Program which combines core concepts at the heart of executive functioning: situational and intention awareness, mental dress rehearsals, future thinking, time awareness and visualisation, which promote efficient and accurate completion of tasks. This model facilitates the development of 6 key skills for students: initiation, transition, planning, time management, self-regulation and meta-cognition. As the steps of a task are envisioned, potential obstacles can be anticipated for students to problem solve and achieve independence. See event details for a breakdown of each day. Day 2 builds on Day 1 so all registrants for Day 2 need to have attended Day 1.

Ms. Ward holds a faculty appointment at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions where she provides instruction to graduate level students in the assessment and treatment of individuals with traumatic brain injury and other cognitive communication disorders.

Register before September 12th to save $25!

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School District staff please contact ACT to check whether your district has a special rate for this event.

Presented in collaboration with Surrey Schools and the
Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD)

Web streaming discounts for groups

Cost-effective training solutions for school districts and agencies

Is your school district, agency or community group looking for a low cost way to make excellent, practical training, featuring internationally respected speakers, available to your teams with reduced fees and without the cost of travel? Join us at our live events! All you need is a comfortable venue, good internet connection, big screen, and a sound system.

ACT uses a professional film crew, streaming high-quality video and sound along with a live-chat your registrants can use to ask speakers questions.

Groups of registrants watch together on one screen and pay a reduced registration fee. ACT sends all registrants links to the handout and the password for the web stream to the organizer.

Contact [email protected] to arrange for your group’s web stream registration today!

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Bursaries for web streaming

Bursaries for those most in need, including para-professionals, parents who have children with diverse needs, and adults with ASD are available for web streaming, to the best of our financial ability.

For information on how to apply for an ACT bursary, please visit the Bursaries FAQ page