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The Geneva Centre for Autism (GCA) offers a variety of services to people in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The centre assists individuals and their families in applying strategies applicable for many environments. They serve people with ASD of all ages, including children as young as 2-12, youth aged 13-17, adults and provide services for the parents.

The centre incorporates ABA (applied behaviour analysis) therapy into their programs. ABA involves a variety of techniques for understanding and changing behaviour; a flexible approach as it fits the needs of each unique client, teaching useful skills and it can be provided one-to-one or in a group setting. For children with ASD, ABA can help increase their cognitive skills and language development.

GCA offers two group services for the children ages 3-10, an ABA Social Skills and an ABA Classroom. Their age-specific programs occur in-person at 164 Merton Street. ABA Social Skills group has the goal to create a foundation of necessary skills required to develop and maintain friendships, social interactions, and participate in school and community activities. Through the use of lessons, storybooks, play and music, they provide young people various skill opportunities in play, emotional regulation, and social communication. Children become social learners and recognize the power of observation and interpreting clues to make sense of different situations. This helps children understand how each of us feel and think! Moreover, the ABA Classroom provides classroom readiness techniques to prepare students to participate and learn in a classroom-style environment. The children follow routines, learn and practice individual skills, engage in social games, and ultimately become school ready. Both groups follow a ratio of 1:3, that is one Instructor Therapist to three students. For all programs the learners are screened to fit into a group provided at GCA. The areas are not limited to, but include, the ability to follow group instructions, participate in groups, display some independence with daily care, and the ability to communicate needs.

GCA is a non-profit organization that offers tremendous support to families all over the Ontario and encourages community collaboration. I believe GCA promotes social justice, community well-being, and the empowerment of vulnerable people.

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Various trainings were completed on Sonderly; a platform to learn about Autism and mental health

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Various trainings were completed on Sonderly; a platform to learn about Autism and mental health

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A total of 13 certificates were completed.

Soldierly Website:

https://sonderly.csod.com/phnx/driver.aspx?routename=Social/UniversalProfile/Transcript&TargetUser=40405&preSelectedCategoryId=3#loaded

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Workplace Violence and Harassment Policy and Program

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Workplace Violence and Harassment Policy and Program

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Accessibility for Ontario's with Disabilities Act (AODA)

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Accessibility for Ontario's with Disabilities Act (AODA)

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Health and Safety Awareness Training for Workers and Supervisors (OHSA)

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Health and Safety Awareness Training for Workers and Supervisors (OHSA)

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ZelayaM - CYC60B - Learning Plan & Goal Setting.docx

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Winter 2024 Goals

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ZelayaM - CYC60AB - Learning Plan & Goal Setting.docx-2

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Fall 2023 Goals

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ZelayaM - CYC60A - Learning Plan & Goal Setting.docx

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ZelayaM- CYC60A - Interim Evaluation.docx

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ZelayaM- CYC60AB - Interim Evaluation.docx-2

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ZelayaM- CYC60B - Interim Evaluation.docx

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During my internship at the Geneva Centre for Autism (GCA), I took many roles and responsibilities. I primarily focused on supporting in various programs and facilitating therapeutic activities. One of my main tasks involved working with young individuals in their ABA Classroom during the Winter, where I facilitated their arts and crafts sessions. These activities provided opportunities for the participants to explore different mediums, engage with colours, and follow multi-step instructions; overall contributing to their development and enjoyment. Moreover, I took on the responsibility of creating news letters for the Saturday Social Skills groups, which were distributed to the parents bi-weekly. These newsletters demonstrated the activities that the youth participated in, fostering a communicative space between the centre and parents/guardians. Additionally, as a part of the GCA team, I played an active role in preparing materials utilized by the Instructor Therapists and program participants. This included creating visuals for the 'first-then' boards, supporting the communication and understanding of tasks and instructions for our young learners. Furthermore, I contributed to data collection efforts, assisting in gathering and organizing valuable information from our sessions that informed program evaluation and development. Ultimately, placement allowed me to directly engage with participants in a variety of therapeutic settings to supporting in administrative tasks such as data collection and material preparation.

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During my time of setting my goals and my time at GCA, I had countless opportunities to enhance my professional development. I engaged in training sessions specific to developing new skills, specifically in data collection, where I felt that it was very self explanatory and had asked questions when needed. I understood that pursing a role as a Registered Behaviour Technician (RBT) in Ontario wouldn't be attainable as of 2023, I shifted my focus towards improving my own confidence; especially through instances where I would facilitate activities with active supervision, engaging with parents to discuss client progress and participating in team meetings. One of my most significant objectives at GCA was to deepen my understanding of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). I pursued this goal by actively participating in sessions and collaborating with the supervisor and Instructor Therapists. Additionally, I read through literature provided by GCA, such as "The Autism Encyclopedia" and "Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew," which included insights of ABA terms and shared experiences of individuals on the spectrum. Further, I participated in opportunities to develop leadership skills, my favourite one being the arts and crafts activities and contributing to the daily ABA Classroom as well as the Social Skill programs. Actively participating alongside the Therapists allowed me to gain practical skills, learn from them, and gain confidence in my abilities. My experiences at GCA not only enabled me to refine by goals but also equipped me with the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary for future positions in the field of autism support and education.

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Assistance in Program Implementation and Creation

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Assistance in Program Implementation and Creation

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I have helped out the Instructor Therapists at GCA through facilitating the creations of their lesson plans. Their programs run quite consistently and require adjustments for each cohort. This may include a difference in activities or to change up their powerpoint for the intent to use with a new group, which may include some individuals who have done the program previously.

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In our Saturday programming, there were many groups being run for the age groups of (approximately) youth ages 4-7 and 8-12. Since September 2023 to April 2024 there were a total of 4 Social Skills Groups held. These groups were Exploring Feelings and Emotions (an emotional regulation group), Let's be Friends (a play and interactions group), Learn to Play (a younger play-based groups) and Secret Agents Society (a social regulation group). Every Saturday of the university term I assisted in 2 of the groups per semester. I participated in 3 out of the 4 groups listed. These groups were held for 2 hour intervals, during this time the group members participated in discussions, activities and were assessed for their progress throughout our 10 weeks with them.

The parents received newsletters bi-weekly of the activities that the group members engaged in. Attached to the photos were summaries of what the learners did and the importance of what they were discussing for that week!

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For each activity I facilitated, (and prepared for the ITs), I ensured to create a sample product for the children to refer to. In this activity I made a sample snowman, as well as I modelled the craft while instructing the group on what activity would be next.

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Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA) Self Test Certificate

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Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA) Self Test Certificate

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The Ontario Human Rights 101 Certificate

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The Ontario Human Rights 101 Certificate

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As a first-generation Canadian, Spanish-speaking female in my early 20s, my social location influenced my experiences as a placement student at GCA. My unique background (Costa Rican and Honduran) allowed me to establish meaningful connections during discussions with Instructor Therapists and the young people we worked with. Being surrounded by a team of diverse individuals from various cultural backgrounds, I felt a sense of comfort and familiarity. The team was composed of mostly females which allowed us to bond quite naturally. In particular, bonding with another Latina Instructor Therapist enabled me to open up and relate to her on shared experiences, upbringings, and cultural heritage. The team culturally diverse, similarly to the group of learners we would be interacting with. When engaging with the young people, during programs such as Secret Agent Society, it provided me an opportunity to incorporate my cultural perspective through discussions. For example, when discussing their upcoming March break trips, I could connect with those visiting Spanish-speaking counties. Sharing information about their trips, asking if they spoke the language, or if they had any family members there and any past experiences of those countries of travel sparked conversations about Hispanic heritage and cultural belonging. I felt proud of my own identity, it was empowering to also encourage the young people to share and tell me about theirs. Through embracing these moments of connection and conversation, I gained a deeper understanding of not only the lived experiences of the youth but also those of the Therapists. Through mutual sharing and exchanging cultural traditions, we fostered a more inclusive and supportive environment in our team at GCA. I was able to enhance my own learning and strengthen my own ability to effectively support individuals on the autism spectrum.

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Example of a Newsletter for the Little Spot Groups - Exploring Feelings and Emotions

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Example of a Newsletter for the Little Spot Groups - Exploring Feelings and Emotions

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*Photos of the clients engaging in the activities, listening to the ITs and during group discussions were removed due to confidentiality.

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I prepared and set out activities for the days I would not be there from A-Z for the ABA Classroom to complete; here is the activity for letter C!

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Melting Crayons for Little Spot of Emotions, Our Own Little Spot 

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Melting Crayons for Little Spot of Emotions, Our Own Little Spot 

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The group members each selected their own mixture of colours; as each crayon represented a different emotion as it related to the little Spot of Emotion curriculum.

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The ABA Classrooms students participated in identifying, spelling and matching letters to then glue it and have fun painting. 

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Making Hot Chocolate with Markers and Marshmallow with Cotton Balls

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Making Hot Chocolate with Markers and Marshmallow with Cotton Balls

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Celebration Day Craft: Decorating T-shirts

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Celebration Day Craft: Decorating T-shirts

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It was the last day at placement and I held a party with the learners in the ABA Classroom! We decorated shirts with the primary colours! Watched a movie! Then at the end of their day Rhiannon and I gave them their good bye goodie bags that had bubbles, a sensory toy, and their shirts.

See the image above for an example of 2 out of 6 of the shirts that were decorated on Friday April 12th!

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Example of a Newsletter of Secret Agents Society

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Example of a Newsletter of Secret Agents Society

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This is an example of the newsletters for our group of 8-12 year olds. *The photos of young people engaging in the online platform and craft activities were removed due to confidentiality.