Experience

• University of Saskatchewan

  Assistant Professor (term)

  Cassandra worked at University of Saskatchewan as a Assistant Professor (term)

• LDAS Centre of Excellence

  Behaviour Consultant and Employability Coach

  My position at LDAS took into consideration my wide range of skills. In the capacity of Behaviour Consultant, I worked with children ages 4-14 years with all types of disabilities including ADHD, ODD, GAD, OCD and ODD, both individually and in groups, on behavioural issues and social skills development (theoretical approaches include CBT, ABA and psychodynamic). I am the only Lego trained therapist in the province, and I led several groups for children ages 4-14 years using Lego as a modality for learning/intervention and behavioural change. I ran half-day and full-day workshops for parents, teachers, educational assistants and other professionals( 10-100 participants) on all aspects of behaviour and diversity.
  
  As an Employability Coach, I worked with disabled and non-disabled adults and provided career counseling, job preparation, job search and sustainability, as well as soft skills and life skills training. I am a Certified TOWES Administrator. As follow up to TOWES, I was part of a team that delivered workplace essential skills training in areas such as critical thinking, document usage, and oral communication. I also enjoyed conducting workplace assessments to help employers find solutions to guarantee success for their employees with disabilities. For the last four years, I have delivered workshops on Understanding Invisible Disabilities to staff at the City of Saskatoon, and to senior management and employees in both corporate and non-profit sectors.
  
  Finally, I assisted the ED and Assistant ED in the writing of successful proposals totaling more than a million dollars in funding toward program development and sustainability at LDAS. In my spare time, I edited communication documents, and wrote articles for the organization's newsletter.

• Autism Behaviour Specialists

  Behaviour Consultant and Clinical Supervisor

  I am the owner and operator of Autism Behaviour Specialists, Saskatoon. Adhering to the principles of ABA, my expertise lies in the areas of social skills development; group therapy, and challenging behavior.
  
  Social skills development is essential to success, not only on the playground but also in life, yet it is so often overlooked. How we respond to others affects inter-personal relationships, family and work.
  As the only Lego-trained therapist in Saskatchewan, I organize and Co-facilitate social skills development groups for children ages 4-14 years. With the tots, we work on pre-requisite skills like turn taking, sharing and joint play. With the older children, we focus on active listening, letting go of control, collaboration, and negotiation. These skills, once taught, can be generalized into school and the community.
  
  I develop and deliver workshops and training materials on all aspects of behaviour across the province, including Northern Communities from Stony Rapids to Wollaston.
  
  In 2017, due to demand, we will be delivering a Teen Hang Out group based on the PEERS model (USA).
  
  I work alongside a small but amazing team that shares my passion to guarantee success for children and adults with ASD, ADHD, OCD and GAD. We share in the joy of hearing a child with Selective Mutism speak up in group or say goodbye to a peer. We celebrate with the youth on the Spectrum who finds his first job. We recognize that this level of success only comes from listening to and appreciating the contributions of parents, caregivers, EAs, LRTs and SLPs, etc. It certainly takes a village!
  

• Autism Services

  Behaviour Consultant

  At Autism Services I honed my expertise in working with children with Autism. I began as a Family Consultant or first point of contact for parents and caregivers who had been given the diagnosis of ASD for their child. Aside from providing intervention for some of these children, I also developed workshops and facilitated groups on everything from toilet training to self-regulation and advocacy.
  
  Upon completion of coursework in ABA through the Florida Institute of Technology and advanced ABA training through the University of New Brunswick, I accepted the position of Behaviour Consultant. In this role, I conducted functional assessments and developed intervention plans for children ages 5-18 years. I also trained and supervised Behaviour Support Workers.