Talks and Workshops

With the goal of sharing information and strategies, we conduct a series of talks and workshops for parents, educators, therapists and other professionals. Our talks take into consideration current research (e.g. in brain and child development) as well as personal experiences to illustrate concepts and share strategies.

The following is a gallery of what one can expect from any of out talks and workshops

The types of talks and workshops we offer

Using RDI Principles to understand & manage behaviour

Relationship Development Intervention® (RDI®) is a cognitive-developmental therapy developed by Dr Steve E. Gutstein. RDI® uses Remediation to correct deficits that are a barrier to your child attaining a better quality of life. Remediation is a developmental process, which looks for the period in development where your child was not able to progress further. It is a gradual and systematic way to build competence in your child by providing opportunities for mindfulness and creating pathways for thinking so s/he can progress where previously s/he stopped. Through Remediation, a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder will be able to achieve a better Quality of Life that promotes the following: Independent Living; Full, Rewarding Employment; Close Friendships; Reciprocal Family Relationships; and possibly Marriage.

Raising an emotionally competent teenager

Adolescence is not a younger version of adulthood. When a child moves through adolescence, many changes are occurring in their bodies and in their minds. Many view this period as being tumultuous because of the way adolescents respond or react as they go through this time of their lives. Through the advances of science, we now have much more information about this period that we all go through. In understanding more about adolescence, as parents and teachers to our children, whether they are typically developing or living with a diagnosis, we can become better guides to them during this potentially wonderful period of development.

Preventing & challenging the behaviour of children with autism

Behaviour is often what we see when a child is experiencing stress emotionally and physically. We need to understand what they underlying issues are with the behaviour that we observed. We will be more effective as working towards long term change if we work towards dealing with the underlying issues than fire-fighting each behaviour that arises. It can also be exhausting for parents and teachers to be continually fire-fighting each and every behaviour that arises.

Developing Children’s Minds: How we can facilitate a child’s development through everyday experiences

In the past, there has been the belief that the brain does not develop past the critical period of infancy. With the advance of science, we now know that the plasticity of the brain continues to develop and change throughout our lives. We have learnt from research on brain trauma that the brain is capable of forming new neural connections. We also know that experiences can shape the development of the mind. We have learnt that when we go through experiences, particularly experiences that are new with challenges that we can overcome, we start to build new neural connections in our minds. As we start to explore how human relationships can shape the development of the mind, it can be empowering to know that as parents and teachers, we can have some impact on how our children develop. Whilst genetic and constitutional factors do play a real and important contribution to the development of the mind, the knowledge that our relationship with our children can play a real role in developing their mind can give us a sense of hope. This talk will look at how we can provide experiences that shape the development of dynamic thinking, mindful communication and meaningful social referencing.

Facilitating the development of mindful communication through everyday experiences

Mindful Communication involves more than talking. We want to invite meaningful reciprocal exchanges where we are sharing our thoughts, feelings and perspectives. We also want to guide the development of communication that uses the different channels of communication so that a child can observe and interpret the meaning of communication when there are changes, such as, in inflection or tone. This talk will look at how we can provide experiences that shape the development of mindful communication.

How to facilitate dynamic thinking through everyday experiences

Facilitating the development of social referencing through everyday experiences

Social Referencing refers to the way we shift our gaze to gain information. When we are uncertain, we may reference to gain information about another person’s response and use that information to adjust our own actions or responses. We might also reference so that we can regulate or coordinate our actions and behavior with the actions and expectations of others. Social referencing cannot be taught but it can be facilitated, such as by providing authentic experiences of uncertainty. This talk will look at how we can provide experiences that shape the development of meaningful social referencing.

Making Connections: Guiding through the mind, body and emotion

As human beings, the well-being of our minds, our bodies and emotional states are interrelated. This talk will cover the importance of working on the mind, body and emotion when guiding our child/student through their development. It will look at what goes on in the brain from birth through teenage to adulthood, including strategies to encourage dynamic thinking processes (e.g. flexible thinking, empathy, etc). It will also cover the relationship between the body and how the brain develops, including how the various senses can play a role in development. Finally, we will look at how maturation of emotions occur and how the relationships in their lives can impact their emotional development. Practical Strategies will be shared on how to work on these areas.