This June, GRAS participated in the Autism Speaks Canada Walk in Waterloo, Ontario. The GRAS Team was able to raise over $1200 to contribute to the ASC Walk! The Waterloo fundraiser raised over $27,000 to help support the goals of ASC, including: Facilitating a catalyst for life-enhancing research and...
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Every year over 10,000 people participate across Canada, making the ASC walk the largest in the country! The goal of the ASC is “to build inclusive communities where autistic Canadians can reach their full potential”. GRAS will be participating and donating this year and would love to extend to...
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What do you think about when you think of communication? While we may assume it’s verbal or textual, it can also be done through a variety of different modes. Some communicate via email exchange or text; others communicate verbally in-person or by phone and for some they use devices...
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Functional communication training (FCT) is a great teaching method not only for professionals, but parents, caregivers, and teachers. Think about how a child communicates their wants and needs. Do they grab your hand and lead you to an item? Do they exemplify behaviours such as running away, screaming, and/or...
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Brushing one’s teeth can require coordination of several different skills at one time. It encompasses fine motor, control, and comprehension of sequences. For some children, this can be a difficult task to form, which is why we use various shaping procedures, visuals (step-by-step and Apps) and techniques to help...
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Social stories are as they sound; sequence based sentences that help string together social expectations. This can be done through textuals, visuals, or a combination of both! They are proven to be effective across multiple settings and are multi-purpose and adaptable. One of the most important skills to shape...
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Let’s talk about direct instruction, but more specifically the implementation and power behind this approach! You can think about direct instruction as a formal, face-paced instructional lesson where the learner is given clear and concise directions to help aid in learning new skill composites. This method is an evidence-based...
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Picky eating isn’t just resistance to trying new foods or consuming edible items. It has many different umbrellas in which it effects; sensory profiles, anxiety, comprehension, exposure and behaviour. I think it is safe to say that we have all encountered situations in which we didn’t prefer a food...
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I wanted to start with a big HELLO to everyone visiting this site. In the past year we have all undergone several shifts and adaptations to our daily routines and way of life (talk about behaviour change). We’ve had to learn, alter and reconfigure the way in which we...
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