Foundational Family Services

Summer Adventures (Pembroke, Rockland, Cornwall, and Renfrew)

Have your child/youth join us to chill out with peers and participate in fun activities, experiments, and adventures! This is a 4-part social skills series.  Groups will be run in-person for 2 hours from 12:30-2:30 pm. See locations listed below. Come join the fun! 

Recommended for: Children ages 5 - 12

See available dates and register 

Let’s Play Together (Pembroke, Rockland, Renfrew, and SDG)

Play is essential for development in the early years as it helps children develop cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally. This workshop series discusses the different types of play and how to set up for a successful play session with your child. This workshop is run as a 3-part series with focus on an introduction to play, imitation play, and cooperative play.

Topics will include the early stages of play, the importance of teaching imitative play skills, the stages of social play, and the importance of playing with others. Sample games and activities will be suggested. Optional consultations (up to 3) will be offered following this workshop where you will have the opportunity to engage in a variety of play activities with your child. For the July sessions, both parent and child are expected to attend all four sessions. The workshop and consultations will be provided in-person at the dates and locations indicated.

Recommended for: Parents of children aged 0-6 years

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3-part social skills training for children and youth

Note: Groups will not be running over the summer. Registration will open again in late August.

Join our in-person Social Skills groups to learn and practice a variety of Foundational Social Skills in a fun, group setting! Groups will be running on Saturdays. Using strategies grounded in Applied Behaviour Analysis, skills such self-care, understanding body language, conversation skills, group participation, and much more will be practiced! In addition, the Accept, Identify, Move curriculum will be incorporated into these group sessions to support social emotional development in participants through the use of mindfulness, acceptance and behaviour analysis.

We offer social skills in-person groups on Saturdays. They will be facilitated by our expert instructor therapists in a small group ratio of 3 children to one facilitator.

What to expect: By clicking an option below, you are expressing your interest in having your child/youth join one of our in-person groups! If you select an in-person group, you will be contacted by one of our Therapists to complete our group screening – we want to make sure your child/youth is matched to a group that will be a best fit!

Express interest

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Day to Day Household Tasks

Supporting your journey 

New to Autism? Connect 1:1 with our Intake Team to discuss your child’s unique needs, access available resources in our region, and learn about next steps in supporting your child with autism.

Register for a 1:1 session

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Our ASD Journeys

Whether you are the parent of a child newly diagnosed with autism or a family currently receiving services (at CHEO or another care provider), you are not alone in your journey. Join CHEO's Autism Family Advisory Committee (AFAC) to discover autism resources, build your network, and hear from other families going through the same experience as you.

See available dates and register

Recommended ages: Parents of children of all ages

Clinic Day

Are you a caregiver of a child or youth diagnosed with ASD? Are you looking for an opportunity to meet with one of our Instructor Therapists? Our clinic days provide you with a chance to consult about a specific behavioural skill, make personalized visual supports (e.g. visual schedules, token boards, PECS icons, etc.), or learn about the Foundational Family Services workshops and groups that best address your goals and needs.

All appointments are virtual.

Recommended for: Parents of children/youth of all ages

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 Anxiety

Change is OK: Teaching Change to those with ASD

From day to day changes to upcoming significant changes, learning to navigate and cope with changes can be challenging. Learn how to apply ABA strategies to help support your child/youth through changes and transitions. Learn different strategies to teach that change is okay!

This Workshop includes a 1:1 individualized consultation post workshop attendance.

Recommended for: Parents of children/youth of all ages

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Communication

Learn how to set up communication opportunities in your home, how to respond when your child or youth is frustrated and how to reinforce communication attempts.  

Recommended for: parents with children who are starting to learn to  communicate

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Community safety

Learn how to identify possible risks and dangers that may exist in the community for your child/youth and explore various strategies that you can employ to promote safety when out and about.

Recommended for: parents of children of all ages

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Daily living routines 

This workshop includes a 1:1 consultation, post work shop attendance, which will provide you with a personalized visual to support your child/youth to be successful with one identified routine of your choice.

Recommended for: parents and children of all ages

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Emotional regulation 

Expanding communication

In this session you will learn strategies for expanding your child/youths communication repertoire at home. We will explain strategies to teach responding to yes/no questions, using sentences, asking for help, and asking WH- questions. If your child or youth is already able to communicate their basic needs and wants then this workshop is for you.

Recommended for: Parents of children of all ages

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Female puberty

A safe, fun, and interactive way for your pre-teen/teen to learn about bodily changes before and during the puberty process.

Recommended for: parents and teens age 12+

See available dates and register

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Home safety 

Learn how to identify possible risks and dangers that may exist at home for your child/youth and explore various strategies you can use to promote a safe environment.

Recommended for: parents of children of all ages

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Increasing cooperation at home

Introduction to ABA

This workshop is a three part series and we strongly recommend you attend both parts. 

Recommended ages: parents of children of all ages

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Introduction to ASD

This workshop is geared for parents and caregivers of children/youth with a new diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.  It provides an overview of the characteristics of ASD, tips on sharing the diagnosis, planning for services and other resources.

Recommended for: Parents/caregivers of children/youth with a new diagnosis of ASD

See available dates and register

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Male puberty

A safe, fun, and interactive way for your pre-teen/teen to learn about bodily changes before and during the puberty process.

Recommended for: Boys age 12+ with parent or caregiver support if required

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Online safety

Food Selectivity

This workshop discusses why your child/youth may have a limited food repertoire and explores strategies to improve your child’s ability to tolerate a variety of foods.

Recommended for:  parents of children of all ages

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Reducing screen time

Are you struggling to get your child/youth off of screen time? Would you like your child/youth to engage in activities other than computers and phones? Join us for this workshop that examines screen time usage in children/youth and presents strategies to reduce screen time and increase participation in other leisure activities.

This is a two part workshop. Part 1 includes a presentation from one of our therapists. In Part 2 we will ask for your active participation as we help you to develop a family plan to reduce screen time in your home.

Recommended for: Parents and children/youth of all ages.

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Sexuality and your teen

Designed for parents of teens, this workshop will explore the developmental stages of sexuality with special focus on how to talk to your teen(s) diagnosed with ASD.

Recommended ages: parents of teens 13+ 

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Showering sense

A workshop focused on supporting parents and teens (both can attend!) with developing a plan to increase independent showering success. This workshop is aimed at both parents and teens (13+). A consult is provided to follow up on supporting you with creating a parent/youth contract.

Recommended for: parents and teens age 13+

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Teaching social communication skills at home

In this session you will learn strategies for teaching social communication skills at home. We will teach you how to use the Behavioural Skills Training method to teach a variety of social skills and provide ideas on how to support social skills during playdates and/or group hangouts.  If your child or youth is able to communicate using complete questions and can respond to "wh" questions then this workshop is for you!

Recommended for: Parents of children of all ages

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Teen life skills

Learn how to effectively increase your teen’s skill and independence with a variety of self-help and daily living skills, including personal hygiene, daily routines, chores and more!

Recommended for: parents and teens age 13+ 

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Toileting

Learn how to implement a toileting plan to address both urine and bowel movements. Get tips and strategies to address potential barriers that may arise.

Recommended for: parents of children of all ages

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Transition to adulthood

Transitioning to adulthood is a process that requires planning and preparation. This 3 part series is for teens and parents and covers a variety of topics related to preparing your teen to become an adult.  Part 1 discusses concerns and challenges facing youth and provides ideas on how to promote independence using ABA strategies. 

Part 2 discusses the development of a collaborative and comprehensive transition plan, which will include Ministry of Education requirements and your school’s responsibility to work with you to prepare your child for life beyond high school. 

In part 3, we will share tips for what makes for a good transition including samples for completing paperwork, while also reviewing resources (e.g.; apps, community and provincial resources) available for young adults with ASD and their families.

Recommended for: parents and teens

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Transition for preschoolers

This workshop explores strategies you can use to set your preschooler up for success during daily transitions including between activities, across environments and between people.

Recommended for: Parents of toddlers and preschoolers age 2-4

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Kindergarten readiness

Learn all about the play-based Kindergarten program and how you can support your child to be prepared for school entry through skill building at home. A 1:1 consultation is included with this workshop.

Recommended for: Parents of children beginning kindergarten

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Navigating the school system - making sense of jargon

Learn about how to navigate the various terms and acronyms you will encounter in your school journey. Our CHEO team of School Consultants will help those new to school jargon navigate this new language.  

Recommended ages: all ages

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New to school 

Learn the important steps as you prepare for your child’s transition into the world of “School” for the first time. Our CHEO team of School Consultants will discuss strategies to create a positive first time school experience.

This workshop includes a 1:1 consultation, post work shop attendance, which will provide you with a personalized Getting to know me document that can be shared with your school or other community services.

Space is limited.

Recommended ages: all ages

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Bullying

This is a 4-part series where you and your child will receive support to understand what bullying is, what actions to take when dealing with bullying and explore coping strategies. This workshop is for ages 9-12 and includes 3 sessions for youth and 1 session for parents 

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Chill & chat - youth drop ins

Join us for a fun, safe, and interactive online youth drop-in group. In this 60-minute session, youth will get to play online games, chat about cool topics, and meet new friends. Come hang out with us!

Age 5-8

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Age 9-12

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Age 13+

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Find Your Emoji

Emotions are complex- join us as we talk as a group and learn more about what Emotions are. You will learn more about emotions, how to identify them, and various coping strategies in fun, exciting ways!

If your child is between the ages of 5-8 years, has verbal communication skills, and is able to talk independently about basic emotions than this peer group may be just for you!

Recommended for: Children ages 5-8 years

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Join us for this virtual 4-part series where your child will work with peers as a team to go on adventures and solve missions by making group decisions. This program teaches children the art of decision making, how to handle conflict/disagreement, and emotional regulation strategies in an interactive group setting. 

Recommended for: Children ages 7-10 years

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Great Adventures

Join us for an hour of virtual adventures, exploration, activities and games! We will learn more about the world around us, while having fun playing virtual games and practicing your conversation skills!

Recommended for: Children ages 5-8 years

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Let's Play Together

Play is an important part of a child's development. This workshop series will help you navigate how to play with your child as well supporting them through different types of play.

Maker Space

Join us this summer for exciting sessions of creativity and building! We will gather together to work on fun projects while sharing ideas, equipment and knowledge! MakerSpace is a place for hands-on learning with all the tools for creativity. Follow along while we work together to build simple projects, all the while allowing for each participants individual creativity to shine! Take home kits including required materials will be available for pick up.

Recommended for: Youth ages 9-12 years

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Minding Your Mood

Join our group to learn more about Emotional Regulation. We will learn how to label our emotions and practice coping strategies as a group while playing games together!

If your child is between the ages of 9-12 years, has verbal communication skills, and is able to talk independently about basic emotions than this peer group may be just for you!

Recommended for: Youth ages 9-12 years

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Science Club

Slime! Volcanoes! Goop! Join us for all things science! We will show different science experiments and talk about the reactions that are happening. Take home kits including required materials will be available for pick up.

Recommended for: Children ages 5-8 years

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Social skills training for youth (3 parts)

Super Circle

Join us this summer for an exciting and interactive Super Circle Time! We will come together to sing and learn, all while having fun! Super Circle will include singing our favourite songs, learning about letters and the alphabet, reading books together, and sharing our favourite items. All of our Super Circle activities will have your child practicing a variety of skills that are necessary for successful participation in group activities.

Recommended for: Children ages 2-4 years

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Supporting siblings

Tips for teens

In these groups teens will be exposed to a variety of topics from dating to cooking, employment to staying home alone, and more. Thrown into the mix will be interaction and conversations between peers & facilitators as well as some games related to the topic at hand.

Recommended for: 13+

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Discovering the CHEO Sleep Lab Experience (Collaboration with CHEO sleep lab)

This service is for families who are scheduled for a CHEO sleep lab appointment and would like support in learning about what to expect and how to prepare. 

Recommended ages: all ages

Dates: Booked in tandem with your CHEO sleep lab appointment. 

Sleep solutions workshop and consult

Has your child recently developed new sleep issues? During this session you will learn about healthy sleep cycles and the factors that can make it hard for children and youth with ASD to sleep. You will also learn basic sleep strategies and discover behavioural supports to help your child sleep better at night. 

See available dates and register

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