Workshops
We do not have any workshops planned at this time. Please visit regularly for updates.
We are dedicated to continuing the education of our staff, parents and outside professionals in the Ottawa community.
Since opening in September 2006 we have hosted Dr. Mark Sundberg on two occassions (September 2007 and March 2008) and Establishing Operations Inc. in a closed workshop for our staff (May 2008).
Dr. Mark Sundberg has also consulted to our centre (September 2007 and March 2008).
We also work with various specialists from the community who conduct private consults on our programs and workshops for our staff; recent specialists include Jacquee Glance SLP (October 2008 - Introduction to Oral Motor and Articulation Skills, Evelyn Sparks from OCTC (April 2008) - Food Acceptance and Mary Champagne (June 2008) - Food Acceptance.
We are dedicated to increasing the knowledge of not only our staff but the community... future workshops will be released soon.
Please see below for past workshop details.
Establishing Operations Inc.
May 31 - June 1, 2008
www.establishingoperationsinc.com
Workshop #3:
Teaching Verbal Behaviour in the Natural Environment
This TWO-day workshop conducted by Holly Kibbe, MS, BCBA and Cherish Twigg, MS, BCBA, is designed to provide consultants, therapists, other professionals and parents (who have an active role in their child's language program) with guided practice in teaching children with autism of all skill levels in the natural environment. The participants will spend most of their time viewing video taped illustrations and practicing the methods of effective instruction demonstrated during the Introductory Workshop. Participants will have the opportunity to develop natural environment programs at all learner levels and will receive precise feedback on their teaching methods.
Dr. Mark Sundberg, Ph.D., BCBA
March 25, 2008
Twenty-two Language and Learning Barriers that can Affect Children with Autism:
Assessment, Analysis, and Intervention
Children with autism frequently experience difficulty acquiring language and other complex skills such as social behavior. Often, there are specific language and learning barriers that impede the acquisition of these skills. If these barriers can be identified and removed, learning can be accelerated. The current workshop will first provide an assessment program (The VB-MAPP Barriers Assessment) for 22 common barriers such as poor instructional control, rote responding, behavior problems, defective mands, defective intraverbals, weak motivators, and self-stimulation. Following the identification of a specific barrier for a child, the next step is to conduct a functional analysis of that problem. Several examples of what causes these barriers will be provided, along with specific intervention strategies designed to remove or reduce the barrier in order to increase the acquisition of appropriate skills.
Dr. Mark Sundberg, Ph.D., BCBA
September 22 - 23, 2007
www.marksundberg.com
Kim Moore, Dr. Mark Sundberg and Karen McArthur
Language Intervention for Children with Autism Based on the
Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (The VB-MAPP)
The most important aspect of designing an individualized language and social skills program for a child with autism is an accurate assessment of the child's existing skills, and the learning barriers that may impede his progress. This two-day workshop will present a behavioral approach to language assessment and intervention for children with autism. During the first day, participants will learn how to administer the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (The VB-MAPP). The VB-MAPP is an assessment tool that is based on B.F. Skinner's (1957) analysis of verbal behavior, typical developmental milestones, and field-test data from typically developing children, as well as children with autism. There are four components of the VB-MAPP. The first component is the VB-MAPP Skills Assessment. This part is designed to provide a representative sample of a child's existing verbal and related skills. The assessment contains 165 milestones balanced across 3 developmental levels (0-18 months, 18-30 months, and 30-48 months) and 16 different skill areas. The second component of the assessment is the VB-MAPP Skills Task Analysis, which provides a further breakdown of each of the 16 different skills for specific skill identification and tracking. The third part is the VB-MAPP Barriers Assessment, which provides an assessment of 22 common language and learning barriers faced by children with autism. The final component is the VB-MAPP IEP Goals, which corresponds with the milestones and barriers assessment, and the intervention program.
During the second day of the workshop participants will learn how to use the results of a VB-MAPP to design and implement an individualized language and social skills intervention program. Participants will also learn how to teach mand, tact, intraverbal, listener, and social skills in a variety of settings. Additional topics discussed over the course of the workshop will include what causes problem behaviors and which interventions may be most successful, data collection, vocal development, augmentative communication, inclusion, and peer interaction.
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Dr. Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D., BCBA received his doctorate degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University (1980), under the direction of Dr. Jack Michael. Dr. Sundberg is the co-author of the books The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills: The ABLLS, Teaching Language to Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities, and A Collection of Reprints on Verbal Behavior. He has published over 45 professional papers, including a recent book chapter titled “Verbal Behavior” in the new edition of Applied Behavior Analysis by Cooper, Heron, & Heward (2007). He is the founder and past editor of the journal The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, a twice past-president of The Northern California Association for Behavior Analysis, a past-chair of the Publication Board of ABA:International, and was a member the BACB committee that developed the BCBA and BCABA Task Lists. Dr. Sundberg has given over 450 national and international conference presentations and workshops, and taught 80 college courses on behavior analysis, verbal behavior, sign language, and child development. He is a licensed psychologist in private practice who consults to programs and classrooms that serve children with autism in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Sundberg has received a number of awards, including the 2001 “Distinguished Psychology Department Alumnus Award” from Western Michigan University.