social skills

Challenge There are few interventions targeted at children three years of age and under who have early signs of autism or a confirmed diagnosis, despite evidence that early intervention is important. Project Summary Social ABC’s is an intervention co-developed by Dr. Jessica Brian (Holland Bloorview, Toronto), together with Dr. Susan Bryson from Halifax. The intervention [...]

Challenge Kids with autism commonly struggle to regulate their emotions and handle the day-to-day stressors in their lives. As a result, they run a higher risk of mental-health challenges such as depression, anxiety disorders and behavioural challenges. Despite this reality, most community-based services have limited mental health supports for autistic children. Project Summary [...]

Challenge Kids with autism commonly struggle to regulate their emotions and handle the day-to-day stressors in their lives. As a result, they are at increased risk of depression, anxiety disorders and anger issues. Project Summary Secret Agent Society is a cognitive behavioural intervention designed to help school-aged children with autism “crack the code” of emotions [...]

Challenge Once one can confirm the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, most Canadian provinces and territories offer government-funded interventions. However, because of long wait lists—first for diagnosis and then for treatment—intervening during the early years of life is virtually impossible for many families. Project Summary Network researchers aimed to change this reality when they developed [...]

Challenge Social ABCs is an intervention for toddlers who are showing social-communication delays or early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This intervention does not require waiting for a formal diagnosis. As a result, it allows a child to make progress during the critical stage when their brain is at its most “plastic” (capable of [...]

Challenge Social skills significantly impair children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which can often lead to additional problems concerning health, education, and addictions. However, there is limited research on the efficacy of social skills interventions for children affected by FASD. To address this knowledge gap, researchers will investigate if gaming could be a viable [...]