Conference Program

A wealth of evidence-based practical recommendations and best practices are then provided, accompanied by their application to common and not-so-common examples.　 Any professionals and paraprofessionals who provide care to individuals who exhibit challenging, disruptive, or dangerous behaviors will leave with materials and strategies that can be used immediately. After understanding the causes and contributors to challenging behaviors experienced by individual to whom we provide care, the topic will then shift to staff management.　 Unfortunately, many managers in educational and healthcare settings have not been provided with fundamental strategies in effective leadership. Instead, many simply learn or depend on methods used by previous managers, the management "book-of-the-day", or intuition. The use of behavioral principles for effective leadership are well-established, evidence-based, easily understood, and simple to use. After reviewing some common and generally ineffective approaches to improving performance, several fundamental strategies will be presented and discussed within the context of common performance concerns.　 Managers and non-managers alike will have a better understanding of work motivation and strategies for improving performance.

Founder and President of Quality Behavioral Solutions Inc., Dr. Lennox received his Ph.D. from Western Michigan University specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis. With over 20 years of experience Dr. Lennox has developed, directed, and consulted with organizations and programs treating children, adults, and geriatric populations in a variety of settings including schools, community and group homes, long-term care, academic research programs, day treatment programs, and rehabilitation hospitals. He has managed services for individuals with a variety of rehabilitation and behavioral needs resulting from head injury, Alzheimer's, development disability, autism, psychiatric conditions, and a number of neurological disorders. In addition, he teaches Organizational Behavior Management at Simmons College.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 OADD Conference
7:30 am – 9:00 am Registration

8:00 am - 9:00 am Breakfast
9:00 am - 10:15 am DSO Panel Discussion with Q & A

Presenters: Lea Pollard, Christine Gougeon

Adults with developmental disabilities experience increased risk for cardiovascular disease, obesity, and osteoporosis. They eat poorly, have limited food preparation skills, lack nutrition knowledge, and have low levels of physical activity. There are limited opportunities for these individuals to learn about healthy eating and food skills. With increasing numbers of people with developmental disabilities being transitioned from institutions to community-based living, there is a significant need to develop and implement food skills programs for this population. Healthy Eating Adds Up, a nutrition education and cooking program for adults with developmental disabilities, was created in response to a local demand, developed based on the needs and preferences of its target audience. By adopting unique instructional procedures and incorporating fun and safe classroom and kitchen activities, the Eating Adds Up has created a program sure to appeal to its target audience.

Since March 2010, over 100 individuals have participated in Healthy Eating Adds Up program. Staff noted that many participants exhibited a heightened awareness of healthy eating and are practicing safe food handling procedures and using the recipes in their daily cooking. This presentation will showcase a model cooking program in southern Ontario for adults with developmental disabilities. The facilitator will discuss various teaching strategies, motivational techniques, useful tools, and appropriate resources to help implement a fun food skills program for adults with developmental disabilities. The workshop will end with small group discussions. Participants will be given a chance to share their best practices

This event gives a brief history of the concept of individual rights and protections for identity based rights, including the rights of people labeled as "disabled". The presentation advances to also focus on the progression of thinking around the future of the various rights movements and an exploration of what future rights humanity may claim for herself.

The second half of the session is a facilitated discussion of the self advocacy movement for individuals labeled with intellectual disability, it’s history, the present state of affairs, it’s challenges and successes and it’s hopeful future. Integral to the day is discussion on specific complex issues such as consent, informed consent, substitute and facilitated decision making, capacity and legal issues.

PowerPoint, videos and group discussion make this a fast paced, interesting, informative and highly interactive learning experience.

Although there are a plethora of suggestions, recommendations, procedures, and protocols for preventing and managing challenging behaviors in educational and treatment settings, four specific protocols are proposed as some of the most important to know. These protocols are selected based on ease of training, ease of acquisition/mastery, widespread applicability, and likely efficacy. Depending on the number of participants, demonstration and return demonstration may be provided.

Education Session - 1E

Be Prepared! - Professionalization of the Developmental Services Worker: A Responsibility not a Right!

Presenter: Mark Benner, Jo Anne Nugent

Historically and presently, there are human resource issues in the developmental services sector and we have started to address these issues with a comprehensive and long-term strategy. Simultaneously, there is increased movement towards professionalization of the DSW. A "DSW Standards of Practice" (Code of Ethics) has been created which is considered the first step towards professionalism.

There has never been so much attention paid to the front line developmental services worker and the present time is right for the further development of professionalization of Developmental Services Workers.

But professionalism is a responsibility, not a given right. If developmental services workers want to be recognized as professionals, they need to be prepared for the expectations that come with this recognition. There are many benefits of being recognized as a professional but there will be expectations as well.

This session will describe the recent developments concerning professionalization and will include a discussion of what DSW’s can do to promote their own professional responsibilities.

Innovation in delivering health care for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is paramount given the increasing costs and waiting lists. Although presence of dogs has been associated with numerous health and emotional benefits for both children and adults, little is known about the effects of dogs on children with ASD and their families.

This presentation will cover the existent research on the effects of companion dogs on families with children with ASD and will describe a dog training program designed to influence the social and emotional skills of children with ASD.

Previous research suggests that presence of companion dogs is beneficial for most but not all individuals, that companion dogs influence children with ASD as well as their family, and lastly families with children with ASD benefit more from the presence of companion dogs than families with typically developing children. Practical recommendations for the involvement of companion dogs in families will be presented.

The recreational dog training program has three core areas: learning about dog behaviour (i.e., dogs' communication style/needs), caretaking of dogs (i.e., brushing and grooming, preparing their treats and refilling the water bowl), and engaging with the dog, peers, and instructor through dog obedience and agility exercises, as well as diverse group games. Although the participant children were not formally evaluated prior/post program, parental report and program performance suggest increased empathy, gross and fine motor skills, self-control, and peer-to-peer interactions

We will present on how the Community Networks in Ontario (CNSC – ON) are promoting collaborative partnerships to make coordinated services work for people who have a developmental disability with co-existing mental health and/or challenging behaviour (dual diagnosis). People with a dual diagnosis need timely access to effective, coordinated clinical services and supports. The presentation will focus on the Community Network’s collaborative work promoting coordinated services through our four provincial priorities: Building Health Care Initiative; Research and Evaluation; Education and Promotion; and Specialized Services.

"Behave Away: A Maintenance Plan" is a 6-8 week training package provided to parents, staff or managers to decrease the likelihood of re-referral to behavioral support services and increase the likelihood of skill maintenance and contextual fit post-involvement.　　This manualized group training offers resources to problem-solve future behavioural challenges with the use of prevention and problem-solving checklists, behavioural assessment procedures, data collection methods to determine function of problem behaviour, function-based strategies, and to teach cognitive-behavioural and acceptance-based coping and self-management techniques for everyday stressors. The effectiveness of this resource training manual was evaluated by comparing pre- and post-test results along with post-training questionnaires designed to evaluate the impact of this training curriculum in the following areas: confidence in assessing and determining appropriate support strategies, level of preparedness　in implementing behavioural strategies, frequency of use of data collection methods to determine function of behaviour, and degree to which coping strategies are utilized. Those who participated in the training were contacted at 1, 3, and 6 month intervals post-training to further assess the maintenance of their skill acquisition and preparedness to provide care for the individuals they support along with their ability to cope with personal stressors of care.　　Overall, the results suggest that it is a useful training package for teaching and maintaining core behavioural and self-coping skills and generalizing those skills across individuals and agencies.

Statement of Purpose: To encourage a conversation between the Ministries of Children and Youth Services; Education; Training, Colleges and Universities; Community and Social Services; and Health and Long-Term Care to open a policy path to direct adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) to inclusive higher education. And it begins here.

Issue: Ameliorating poor health and socioeconomic outcomes among Ontarians with ID/DD by improving opportunities for and attainment of higher education

Scope: In the long-run, H’art School hopes to see an expansion of postsecondary education opportunities for Ontarians with ID/DD in tandem with increased preparation at the secondary school level for students with ID/DD.　 The Connections for Students transition teams supported by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services in partnership with the Ministry of Education currently targets students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and provides an excellent intervention model for the transition of students with ID/DD into postsecondary life.　

The Inclusive Postsecondary Education Initiative at Queen’s University has charted success and is an excellent starting point for the expansion of IPSE across Ontario’s postsecondary institutions, but solutions to improve socioeconomic outcomes for Ontarians with ID/DD will be optimized when all the stakeholders – notably the Ministries of Children and Youth Services; Community and Social Services; Education; Health and Long-Term Care; and Training, Colleges and Universities – are working together.

Adults with developmental disabilities (DD) have poorer health and greater difficulty accessing primary care than people in the general population. This workshop will enable caregivers to work effectively with primary care providers and other members of family health care teams and to advocate for their patients using the recently developed Primary care of adults with developmental disabilities: Canadian consensus guidelines (2011) and related Tools for the Primary Care of People with DD. Using a case-based approach, the main focus of the workshop will be to illustrate the use of tools developed to assist primary care providers and caregivers in collaborating to implement the guidelines. The workshop will also present research findings to substantiate the importance and urgency of enhancing the primary care of adults with DD and the knowledge and skills of their care providers, and discuss the role of caregivers in promoting both of these objectives. The Healthcare Access Research in Developmental Disabilities (HCARDD) project will be described. HCARDD is the first population-level study of the primary care of adults with developmental disabilities in Ontario. HCARDD demonstrates that, as in other places in the world, individuals with DD in Ontario are more complex and have higher rates of chronic diseases than those in the general population. Results of an evaluation of a training initiative for primary care providers also show that, prior to targeted training, primary health care providers felt they lacked proper training and were often ill-equipped to address the primary care needs of people living with DD.

A number of options exist for individuals with developmental disabilities who want to work – but do choice and opportunity truly exist? Despite the advent of supported employment over 30 years ago, paid employment rates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities remain low, and there is little evidence that those who do work are finding jobs that satisfy their interests, goals or financial needs. This presentation will begin with an overview of the productivity options available to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and will provide evidence concerning outcomes being achieved in the areas of choice, inclusion and workforce participation. Presentations by employment specialists will highlight practical issues that exist with respect to the various employment options available in Ontario, and how the legislative, economic, business and social service environments foster or hinder success. The session will end with discussion and debate aimed to build consensus on the foundational principles participants believe should underlie service provision directed at inclusive, individualized employment outcomes. Questions that will guide discussion include:

What elements are necessary to ensure that persons with ID/DD have true choice in vocational and career planning?

What are the key aspects of inclusive employment, such that workers experience belonging, engagement, and make valued contributions?

What factors need to change to move us closer to desired outcomes?

In accordance with the Ministry of Health and Long term care and the Ministry of Community and Social Services policy framework, Kerry’s Place Autism Services, Brampton Caledon Community living and Supportive Housing in Peel will work jointly with each other.

SAIL- (Supporting Adults in Independent Living) is a collaborative partnership between Kerry’s Place Autism Services. Brampton Caledon Community Living and Supportive Housing in Peel. It is a community –based partnership dedicated to providing a continuum of support to adults with a Dual Diagnosis’.

Kerry’s Place Autism Services is a provincial charitable non-profit agency that provides a range of services and supports to people that have an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Brampton Caledon Community Living is a non-profit organization with a volunteer board of directors. Brampton Caledon Community Living supports People who have an intellectual disability in partnership their families and their community to lead enriched and meaningful lives. Supportive housing of Peel is a mental health agency providing safe, affordable housing for people with mental illness.

A three year project made possible by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. This initiative seeks to assist youth (18-30) who have graduated or will be graduating to live their lives to the fullest. It focuses on social inclusion, building social support networks, creating opportunities for meaningful day activities and assisting people to develop the skills needed to live independently in their community. Community Living York South is committed to providing assessment tools to assess the current independent living skills of each participant, resources to increase independent living skills, linkages to community groups of the person’s interest, educational sessions (job search/readiness, healthy relationships, developing friendships, basic math and literacy), opportunities to stay at an apartment to learn/practice and experience independent living (grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, budgeting, laundry, transit training), opportunities to find compatible roommates and appropriate living arrangements and also to assist families in the development of a life plan and social support networks.

Education Session - 3E

Autism Ontario's Realize Community Potential Program: Current Program Evaluation Results and Future Directions

Presenter: Marilyn Thompson, Margaret Spoelstra, Jessica h. Schroeder, James M. Bebko, Karen Manual, Sarah Duhaime, Layne Verbreek

Background: The Realize Community Potential (RCP) Program was developed to support families impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorders. It began in 2006 as a pilot program in 6 communities and will be expanded across the province in 2011-2012. An evaluation team is examining the ability of the program to meet stated objectives.

Methods: Questionnaires were used to compare chapter activity before and after the inception of the RCP program. Short-term stress surveys were completed during contacts with families. A longer-term stress measure evaluated parents’ perceived ability to navigate the system and stress associated with ASD symptoms. Francophone families completed a survey about services and barriers to access.

Results: The number of events increased, with almost 90% of participants indicating that their expectations were met or exceeded. Event topics of most interest included: behaviour, social skills, and communication.

Mean number of calls to RCP chapters has significantly increased. Families showed a very modest decrease in stress, but those rated as being ‘in crisis’ when first contacting the RCP coordinator were rated as a having the greatest decrease in stress at the end of the contact period.

Parents are reporting higher quality of life and are showing improvements in their perceived ability to advocate for their child and to navigate the system of services.

Almost half of Francophone families surveyed reported not accessing at least one type of community service because it was not available in French.

Conclusion: The RCP evaluation has been important in identifying effective components to guide future program development and allocation of funding resources.

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

KEYNOTE SPEAKER and Catered Dinner
Join us for an evening Keynote Presentation followed by a catered dinner. Attendance at the Keynote speak and dinner is part of the 3 and 2 day conference packages; tickets for the speak and dinner can also be purchased separately for day and student attendance.





What's So Funny About Challenging Behaviors: A Comic-Inspired Guide to Understanding & Managing Behavioral Challenges

Keynote Speaker: Dr. David Lennox

Abstract to follow

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Catered Dinner

Enjoy a fabulous dinner and discussion after the Keynote speak (provided as part of the 3 and 2 day conference packages; tickets can also be purchased separately)

The CAIR program is a time limited intervention and clinical support for adults with a developmental disability and complex needs who require flexible, innovative, and individualized response to be maintained in the community. The overall goals of the program are to enhance community & caregiver capacity, sustain individuals in community settings, and successfully transition individuals to less restrictive living situations. The program is a pilot project within the Toronto Networks for Specialized Care, administered by the Griffin Centre and CAMH. The specialized funding from the CAIR program, in conjunction with the development of sustainable clinical planning, is what allows for the unique community response. This presentation will provide an overview of the program, as well as case examples and successes.

In this presentation, you will learn about social inclusion and its meaning for developmental service providers, service consumers and their families. It will give you ideas to design supports promoting social inclusion and measure their success.

Persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) are among the most marginalized groups in any society and generations of researchers have shown that stigma and exclusion are constant features of their landscape. Promoting social inclusion for people with IDD has become an important policy objective. In Ontario, the Minister’s draft regulation on Quality Assurance Measures under the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act (2008) calls for every service agency to promote social inclusion. However, the dimensions of social inclusion are still poorly defined and parameters of their assessment are lacking. As a consequence, there is no real way to determine and measure whether service providers are successful in facilitating or achieving inclusion with the persons that they support.

The presentation aims to present the proposed definition of social inclusion developed through a review of the literature and consensus building activities with researchers, policy makers, service consumers and their families in Ontario. A panel including service providers, service consumers and family members will discuss the proposed definition of social inclusion and its practical implications

LIGHTS expands available residential options and choices for individuals and families waiting for government funded residential supports.

LIGHTS enables families to network, combine and apply their resources and increase their capacity to create alternative living arrangements.

LIGHTS provides families with experienced, knowledgeable planning and supports to establish stable living situations for their family member.

In this session, presenters will provide background on LIGHTS, provide examples of how families are utilizing LIGHTS to explore their residential options in a transforming sector and share aspirations for the future.

This will be an interactive/demonstration "speed seeking" workshop focusing on how "Total Communication Approach" can be facilitated through various methods and mediums. A variety of methods specific to the visual and auditory needs of the individual, or tools utilized, to provide a consistent delivery of "Total Communication Approach" for individuals with congenital deafblindness or people with a sensory loss and communication need. The workshop will involve six separate presentations. Participants will have the opportunity to move around the room in a timed fashion (12 minutes at each table) and "seek" information from each presentation.

Education Session - 4E

Supportin Diverse Identities

Presenter: Bob Ferguson, Nooreen Pirbhai

Are you responsive to the multiple identities that the people you support have?

We are surrounded by diversity, whether we work and live in a rural or urban environment, diversity encircles us. For most, the term diversity begins and ends with one component of the word – ethnicity. What’s important to note is that there are six core components of diversity. They include; ethnicity, race, gender, age, sexual orientation and abilities. Diversity does not stop there however, one can also think about religion, Aboriginal status and level of education.

Recent demographic shifts and a heightened awareness of the needs, wants and challenges of diverse communities have caused the non-profit sector and front-line staff in particular, to assess the ways in which services are delivered. For instance, are we ensuring that the person’s multiple identities are being supported including age, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion?

This session will define key terms such as diversity and inclusion, outline statistical information regarding the rapidly increasing diversity in Ontario and provide ways in which we can ensure we are being responsive to the unique and diverse identities of the people that we support. Case studies will also be incorporated for interactive dialogue and brainstorming among participants.

10:15 - 10:30 Break for OADD participants

OADD Annual Conference

2012 Conference Program

Please note: there are changes to the program layout and dates.
Please review the program and registration information carefully to ensure you are registered for the choices you want. Availability of all options will be on a first come, first serve basis.

OADD Annual Conference

2012 Conference Program

Please note: there are changes to the program layout and dates. Please review the program and registration information carefully to ensure you are registered for the choices you want. Availability of all options will be on a first come, first serve basis.

Please note: there are changes to the program layout and dates.
Please review the program and registration information carefully to ensure you are registered for the choices you want. Availability of all options will be on a first come, first serve basis.