Disability Programs Specialized Services: Recent Episodes
Disability Programs Specialized Services
This episode originally aired on the Swinging Upside Down podcast on October 24, 2020.
October is ADHD Awareness Month, so to start things off, the podcast is revisiting a conversation between DPSS team leader and OT Cynthia Miller-Lautman and her husband Michael. Michael was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, he and Cynthia talk about growing up without a diagnosis, getting diagnosed and learning to face the challenges of adulthood with ADHD.
Weighted blankets, vests and stuffed animals have become incredibly popular in recent years. They can be incredible helpful for anyone who struggles with sensory regulation. You can buy weighted sensory products online and in many stores, but they should still be used with caution.
In 2008, a child with autism died while rolled in weighted blanket and leftunsupervised. Since then, the provincial government of Québec has published a set guidelines and regulations regarding the use of weighted blankets at home and in school or healthcare settings.
Download the Government Guidelines (French Only)In this episode, Cynthia Miller-Lautman (Occupational Therapist) goes through these guidelines and talks about how to use weighted products safely. You can also download the poster below to share with you colleagues and family, or print it and post it where it will be most helpful.
Download The Poster (PDF)
Have you ever wondered why someone behaves the way they do? Have you ever wondered what those behaviours are trying to communicate? Applied Behaviour Analysis Trevor Friesen helps us understand what those behaviours are trying to tell us and guides us towards what to do next. Watch this video to learn how this approach can be added to your toolbox.
In this episode, DPSS team member Trevor Friesen introduces us to Applied Behaviour Analysis (or ABA), and talks about some strategies for getting to the root cause of problem behaviours. Trevor also gives some suggestions about how to think about solutions for difficult behaviours.
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As part of the DPSS training week in March 2021, Aimee-Elizabeth Parsons and Trevor Friesen did a session entitled “What is ADHD?”. That session was based on Episode 3, which you can watch here. In this episode, Aimee and Trevor tackle some of the questions that they were asked during and after their session. Some […]
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This is Part 3 of our series on Language Disorders and Development. In this episode, Cynthia and Dana answer some questions that were asked after their session on Language Development and Disorders in March 2021. You can watch the first two parts of this series here: Episode 6: How Language Develops Episode 7: How to […]
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During the DPSS training week in March 2021, Cynthia and Bethany did a session on autism spectrum disorder. You can watch the videos from those sessions here: Let’s Talk About Autism Part 1 and Let’s Talk About Autism Part 2. There were so many good questions at the end of the session, that they couldn’t […]
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During Disability Programs Specialized Services Training Week in March 2021, the episode An Introduction to Disabilities (Episode 2) was played in a live session moderated by Sophie-Anne Scherrer, OT and Dana Lawlor, S-LP. Toward the end of the session, the audience were able to ask questions to Sophie-Anne and Dana. In this episode, Sophie-Anne and […]
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During the DPSS team’s training week in March 2021, we received a lot of questions at the end of each session. While we were able to answer some of the questions, we couldn’t get to them all. In this episode, Sophie-Anne and Bethany answer some of the questions that were asked during the session “Inclusion: […]
The post A Community Life For All: Q&A (Episode 9) appeared first on Disability Programs Specialized Services.
In this podcast episode, Bethany Hartropp and Sophie-Anne Scherrer, both Occupational Therapists working with the Disability Programs Specialized Services at the CBHSSJB, talk about inclusion and accessibility. We all have different abilities, sometimes because of age, health conditions or injury. This podcast talks about strategies for staying active and having roles in our family and […]
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In this episode, Dana Lawlor (Speech Language Pathologist) and Cynthia Miller-Lautman (Occupational Therapist) talk about some simple things that parents, educators, and family members can do to give their children exposure to language and help stimulate language learning. In Episode 6, Dana and Cynthia talked about how language develops and what a language disorder might […]
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In episode, Dana Lawlor and Cynthia Miller-Lautman talk about how language develops in young children. They share some signs that could let you know when a child might need extra help in learning language. As well, they talk about developmental language disorder – or DLD for short. You’ll learn some signs of struggle to look […]
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In Part 1 of our series on Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cynthia and Bethany discussed what it might look like when someone has autism, and what the criteria are for someone to get diagnosed with ASD. Please be sure to listen to part 1 before listening to this episode.
In Part 2, they continue their discussion by looking at some things that can be put in place to help people with autism. They can also be helpful for people who do not have an Autism diagnosis.
Many of these strategies will be useful for kids with or without a diagnosis.
Some of the things they talk about are:
- Using pictures to communicate
- Visual schedules and routines
- Sensory-safe spaces
- How the being on the land can help
References
Kidder, J. E., & McDonnell, A. P. (2017). Visual Aids for Positive Behavior Support of Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Young Exceptional Children, 20(3), 103–116. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096250615586029
Knight, V., Sartini, E., & Spriggs, A. D. (2015). Evaluating visual activity schedules as evidence-based practice for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(1), 157-178.
Public Health Agency of Canada, (2018, March 29). Public Health Agency of Canada Releases First-Ever National Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Statistics. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2018/03/public-health-agency-of-canada-releases-first-ever-national-autism-spectrum-disorder-asd-statistics.html
Schaaf, R. C., Dumont, R. L., Arbesman, M., & May-Benson, T. A. (2018). Efficacy of occupational therapy using Ayres Sensory Integration®: A systematic review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(1), 7201190010p1-7201190010p10.
Williams, M. S., & Shellenberger, S. (1996). How Does Your Engine Run? Leader’s Guide to the Alert Program for Self Regulation (1st ed.). TherapyWorks, Inc.
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Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by repetitive behaviors and difficulty with social skills, speech and nonverbal communication. This the first episode in our two-part introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder. In this episode, Bethany Hartropp and Cynthia Miller-Lautman, both of whom are Occupational Therapists with the DPSS team […]
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