Colloquium Videos – 2019

Dec 11, 2019

Assessment and Treatment of Comorbid Selective Mutism and Autism Spectrum Disorder

November 21, 2019 | 2:30 – 3:30 pm | Neville Scarfe Room 308A

It is well-known that anxiety disorders co-exist with ASD but much less is known about how to treat anxiety specific to speaking – that is, selective mutism (SM) – in the context of ASD. This is problematic as SM compounds the core social-communication deficits in ASD. This presentation provides information about how to assess and treat SM in children with ASD, using evidence-based behavioural intervention for SM modified for ASD.

Ainsley Boudreau is a staff Psychologist at BC Children’s Hospital.

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Nov 04, 2019

Peer Mediated Instruction for Middle School Students with Autism

October 24, 2019 | 3:000 – 4:00 pm | Neville Scarfe Room 308A

Peer-mediated instruction (PMI) is an evidence-based practice that involves supporting typically developing peers to interact with learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within natural environments.  This session will provide an overview of PMI research, followed by a description of a PMI research study conducted in a middle school.  The study employed a low-intensity instructional package with classmates of three students with ASD. The results will be discussed in terms of advantages, disadvantages, and limitations.

Thea Brain is the Director of Early Autism Project.

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Apr 01, 2019

Detecting Anxiety Disorders in Youth with ASD

March 19, 2019 | 2:00 – 3:30 | Neville Scarfe Room 278

Children with ASD frequently experience co-occurring anxiety disorders, yet these anxiety disorders can often go undetected, given the overlap of anxiety and autism symptoms. In this talk, Dr. Kerns will review research on the prevalence, presentation and assessment of anxiety disorders in children with ASD. Implications for treatment of anxiety in children with ASD will also be considered.

Dr. Kerns is an Assistant Professor of Department of Psychology at UBC.

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Feb 26, 2019

Examining Preference for Social Interactions and Teaching Procedures in Children with Autism: Results of Two Studies

February 19, 2019 |2:30 – 4:00 | Neville Scarfe Room 310

Tyla Frewing, Ph.D., BCBA-D and Sarah Pastrana, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Consultants, Semimahoo Behaviour Analysts, Inc.

This presentation will include two recent studies on identifying and increasing reinforcing stimuli, which are essential components of behavioural interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The first study compared two methods for making praise more valuable for individuals with ASD. The second study evaluated participants’ preferences for three methods of reinforcer delivery, as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of the three methods when teaching new skills.

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Teaching STEM (including Coding and Robotics) to Students with ASD

February 5, 2019 |2:30 – 4:00 | Neville Scarfe Room 278 (Library Block)

Vicki Knight, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of ECPS

This presentation will articulate the rationale for including students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) curricula and contexts. Dr. Knight will focus on her innovative research in this area to support this rationale, especially in the areas of coding and robotics. In addition, she will discuss methods she has used internationally to train professionals to promote content-based learning for all students in the classroom.

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