Recherche

Join Jonathan Leef for a discussion about the current research on gender identity and sexuality in ASD. This webinar will focus on issues of capacity and consent, gender identity, and sexuality. Our hope is that this webinar will de-stigmatize these issues for parents and clinicians. 

Jonathan Leef, M.A. (Ph.D. Candidate)

Jonathan Leef M.A. (Ph.D. Candidate) is completing his final year of training to be a clinical psychologist, and is currently a doctoral candidate in the School and Clinical Child Psychology Program (SCCP) at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). He has been working with children and youth with ASD and their families since 2002, through the Hospital for Sick Children’s Autism Research Unit, the Child, Youth and Family Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and through Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, where he is also a senior research coordinator in the Autism Research Centre. Jonathan recently defended his doctoral dissertation, which explored the relationships between gender dysphoria and ASD in children.

This webinar will provide recommendations regarding movement activities that are can be done when restricted at home or when there is limited access to outdoor space.  Recommendations will be offered for all ages and specific equipment options will be reviewed.

Presenter : Ellen Yack, M.Ed, OT Reg. (Ont.)

Ellen Yack has practiced as an occupational therapist since 1979 and has a Masters’ Degree in Education.  She is recognized for her expertise in the treatment of autism spectrum, sensory processing and self-regulation disorders.  Ellen’s other areas of expertise include developmental coordination disorder, praxis disorders, global developmental delay, attention deficit disorders and learning disabilities.    Ellen’s experience working with children and adults with ASD includes assessment and treatment services offered at her private clinic and consultation and training services that were provided to the Geneva Centre for Autism for over 10 years. Ellen currently provides consultation to the Autism Support Team at the Toronto District Catholic School Board and to a variety of ABA programs and Mental Health agencies.

Everything you wanted to ask your doctor about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and more! This webinar will cover early signs of ASD, when and how to make a diagnosis, early intervention principles, and medical problems including sleep, nutrition, GI problems and toilet training. Dr. Wendy Roberts will also review competence building at all ages and communication strategies.

Presenter:

Dr. Wendy Roberts, The Hospital for Sick Children Developmental Pediatrician Co-Director, Autism Research Unit, Professor Emerita, University of Toronto

During her career as a developmental pediatrician, Dr. Wendy Roberts has been an active participant in a variety of clinical research projects relevant to the goals of improving care for individuals with autism. Her main role in research has been as clinician collaborator and site principal investigator on a variety of projects related to defining the etiology, refining the definition, and searching for interventions for
autism.

A large part of her role has been knowledge transfer through continuing medical education. She has been active in teaching physicians how to identify autism more efficiently, and to follow children closely for developmental and medical issues. Since 2003, Dr. Roberts has been a mentor in the CIHR Autism Research Training Program and has expanded her role in training and maintenance of reliability for use of autism diagnostic measures by colleagues, graduate students and research coordinators in autism research teams working across Canada.

Confidently acknowledging what one is good at is the first step in deciding what kind of work/education may be a good match. In this one hour workshop, individuals will be challenged to think about the talents and abilities they may bring to a future job. Sarah will guide participants in exercises and suggest resources that will help in identifying interests and skills for a potential job.

Other sessions in this series:

• Part 1 of 5 - Resiliency in Job Searching
• Part 3 of 5 - Resume & Cover Letter Development
• Part 4 of 5 - Interview Skills
• Part 5 of 5 - Social Scenarios at Work

Presenter: Sarah Southey, M.S.W

Sarah is a Social Worker (M.S.W.), and is an affiliate of The Redpath Centre. She see’s clients in Mississauga, Toronto and virtually. She has over 12 years of experience working with adolescents and adults with ASD, ADHD, learning disabilities and mental health issues. Sarah focuses her counselling and research on helping people with ASD find and keep meaningful employment. Sarah uses solution-focused and cognitive behavioural therapy techniques in her sessions.

Ask any adult and they likely agree with this simple truth: children have an unparalleled ability to play with anything. Perhaps the best part of being an adult is that we have the privilege to rekindle our creativity through our pretend play adventures with our children. But sometimes, our kids look to us for ideas. Sometimes a child’s well of creativity runs dry, and there is a need to find original activities to pass the time. Perhaps the hardest part of being an adult is when two siblings run out of things to do! In this presentation, attendees will learn about the intersections of play, games, and behavioural treatment for children who live with Autism. Attendees will leave this presentation with knowledge about the importance of play in education, and some simple ideas to create play activities and games that encourage engagement and interactions in children.

Additional Session in this series:

1. Self Care Skills During COVID-19 with Janice Theodoropoulos
2. Fostering Safe Social Connections During COVID-19 with Carly Eby & Michau van Speyk
3. Creating Structure and Stability in the Home with Dawn Marciello & Joan Broto

Speaker: Harley Lang BCBA

Harley Lang is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst who lives and practices ABA in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a part-time associate with Semiahmoo Behaviour Analysts Inc., where he designs behaviour interventions and consults with schools. Harley is the lead developer of Teaching Games, a community project that disseminates information about behaviour analysis and game-based learning. This past April, Teaching Games published The Playbook, a free resource for parents and educators that describes how to implement game-based learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for many, but recent research suggests that the mental health and overall wellbeing of families of children on the autism spectrum have been disproportionally impacted by multiple waves of lockdowns across Canada. In this panel with researchers Dr. Vivian Lee (Carleton University) and Jonathan Weiss (York University), as well as researcher-parent Dr. Janet McLaughlin (Wilfred Laurier), Matthew Ley (host) will discuss the current research on how autistic children and their families have been impacted by the pandemic but also ways in which families have been able to cope and thrive. Long term implications of the pandemic will be discussed as well as ways we can continue supporting caregivers and families as we move forward past the pandemic.

Panelists

Dr. Vivian Lee, Ph.D.

Vivian Lee is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University. Her research focuses on the emotional and mental health of children and youth with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. Her work includes the investigation of child-, parent-, and system-level characteristics, and the relationship between these factors, that either support healthy emotional development or exacerbates difficulties in the child and for the family. She is also interested in the impact of these factors on overall parent and family wellbeing. Additionally, she has an interest in implementation science and program evaluations and working alongside community-based autism care providers and advocacy groups, she is investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as participation in psychosocial interventions, on the mental health and wellbeing of autistic youth and their caregivers.

Dr. Jonathan Weiss, Ph.D.

Dr. Weiss is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, and a Clinical Psychologist. He holds a Tier 2 York Research Chair in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disability Mental Health and is the Director of La Marsh Centre for Child & Youth Research. His research focuses on mental health in autistic people or people with intellectual disabilities across the lifespan. He conducts studies into how people with developmental disabilities access mental health care, and is interested in their service needs, use, and experiences. His work is also focused on understanding and supporting family wellness when at least one family member has a developmental disability. He is interested in program development and evaluation, and in particular on the impact of Special Olympics on the psychological well-being of participants, and of psychosocial interventions to promote resilience and improve the mental health of children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Dr. Janet McLaughlin, Ph.D.

Janet McLaughlin is an Associate Professor of Community Health and co-founder and co-director of the Laurier Autism Research Consortium (LARC) at Wilfrid Laurier University. After her son was diagnosed with autism in 2012, she developed an interest in the needs and experiences of caregivers, including how service access challenges influence their well-being. She has since led two major province-wide studies investigating these issues, the most recent of which was a partnership between LARC and Autism Ontario. The findings from this study, Families in Flux, explored access to autism services, education, and well-being in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. McLaughlin’s current research focuses on understanding the experiences of underserved communities, particularly Indigenous and newcomer families. She previously served on the Ontario Autism Program Advisory Panel.

Disclaimer: Opinions reflected in this webinar are those of the speaker(s) and presenter(s), and do not necessarily reflect Autism Ontario’s views. Please note Autism Ontario does not endorse any specific therapy, product, treatment, strategy, opinions, service, or individual. We do, however, endorse your right to information. Autism Ontario strongly believes that it is important to do your own research and make your own informed decisions.

In this interactive webinar, anya, and Stephanie will discuss gender identity and autism, and talk about ways to support your queer and gender-diverse autistic children.

Stephanie is a cis-gender social worker who has years of experience working with autistic youth, teens and adults, and their families.

anya is a non-binary person, consultant, and educator who has years of experience supporting queer and gender-diverse youth, adults, and families in the 2-SLGBTQIA+ community. anya brings a genuine and authentic voice to this discussion to further support families along their journey to understand and affirm their children.

Together, anya and Stephanie will provide you with the language and skills to help you build strategies for supporting, your children to live their authentic selves.  

This webinar is appropriate for parents and caregivers of autistic youth as well as professionals working with autistic youth.

Co-speaker: Stephanie Moeser, R.S.W, M.S.W 

Stephanie Moeser is a social worker living and working in Peterborough, ON. As a part time faculty at Fleming College, she teaches in the Mental Health and Addictions, Social Service Worker and Developmental Service Worker programs.  Originally from Toronto, a focus of Stephanie’s clinical work has been in supporting people with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families. In her private practice Stephanie provides mental health supports addressing areas of relationships, wellness, and issues related to managing mental health challenges such as anxiety and mood disorders. She has a specialization in supporting autistic students attending post-secondary education, and girls, women and trans and non-binary people on the spectrum.  

Over the years Stephanie has presented on the topic of wellness and selfcare to parents/caregivers, people living with disabilities, mental health professionals and allied health professionals. This past month she has provided a series of webinars on this topic for Autism Ontario. She is passionate about the need to talk about feelings and to integrate active compassion into one own’s life, especially during this difficult time. 

Co-Speaker: anya gwynne

A second-generation settler living in Nogojiwanong, anya gwynne is a queer and non-binary, writer, parent and facilitator. Over the last 15 years, they have engaged service providers, educators, and the community to build welcoming spaces and improve services for 2S/LGBTQIA+ people, creating authentic opportunities for learning and connection.  anya has developed trauma-informed programming and facilitated diverse groups.  They are grateful for the opportunity to have worked across Turtle Island with youth and intergenerational communities, witnessing stories of resistance and change. 

Disclaimer: Opinions reflected in this webinar are those of the speaker(s) and presenter(s), and do not necessarily reflect Autism Ontario’s views. Please note Autism Ontario does not endorse any specific therapy, product, treatment, strategy, opinions, service, or individual. We do, however, endorse your right to information. Autism Ontario strongly believes that it is important to do your own research and make your own informed decisions.