Welcome! If you are reading this, it is probably because you are wondering about behavioural consulting and how this can benefit you and your family. 

 

My name is Alyssa Schienbein and I do behavioural consulting. I graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology and Special Education. I focused mainly on early childhood intervention and of course, behaviour. In the near future I plan to finish a second Masters in Educational Psychology. Thus, I practice only as a behaviour consultant and will encourage you to work with and refer you to other professionals to help support the needs of your child. 

I have spent a lot of time studying and teaching Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), the ethics of ABA, and the evolution of ABA. Although ABA has some downfalls, I only practice in a child led mindset and never work to eliminate behaviours that serve a purpose. I pride myself on taking a child led approach to behaviour change and focusing on the ‘why’ behind behaviour. Being able to support families and provide them with strategies and tools to support their child brings me joy and fuels me to continually learn and grow within my practice. 

 

What is a behaviour consultant and what do we do?
 

A Behaviour Consultant works with families and other service providers to address challenging behaviours and teach adaptive skills to children, youth and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or an intellectual disability based on the science of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). The primary goal of a behaviour consultant is to improve the quality of life of the individual and those who care for him/her by facilitating durable changes in socially significant behaviours. The goal is not to distinguish a behaviour, but rather understand the ‘why’ behind a behaviour and work from there to create sustainable and healthy change. 

What to expect:

• A Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA) will be conducted. This is conducted to understand the function (purpose) of the behaviour. We want to know ‘why’ the behaviour is happening,  and how the behaviour is serving the child. 

• The results of the FBA are then used to help  build a behaviour support plan. I work collaboratively with the family and any other professionals in your childs life, to work out the details of the plan, ensuring it is a good fit and follows the ethical principles of ABA. 

• After the plan is created, I will support you and your family in understanding how to implement the plan, and then I will continually support you to monitor progress and make changes as needed. 

• Ongoing support looks like:

• Problem solve any issues or concerns that may arise

• Make changes to the plan when needed 

• Evaluate progress and consult with the team on any changes 

• Ensure all skills are being taught in an appropriate and relevant context

What behaviours do I support?

• Aggression

• Self-stimulatory behaviours

• Anxiety

• Self-injury

• Sleep issues

• Toileting

• Social challenges

• Challenges associated with daily routines (e.g. mealtimes, homework routines, car rides, hygiene, etc.)

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