On December 21, 2020, Premier Ford announced an Ontario-wide lockdown beginning on Boxing Day, December 26th, 2020 until at least January 22, 2021. Find out how we’re responding at Lake Ridge Community Support Services and the impact on in-person services in January.

Oh, Christmas. What a joyous time filled with new experiences. The lights, the baking, the snow, the crowded house and the malls, the smell of a freshly cut Christmas tree. All those wonderful events and smells, the loved ones that you associate with at such a joyous time of year. It was not always so wonderful for our family though.

Dr. Jack Michael (January 16, 1926 - November 13, 2020. It is with great sadness that our field of ABA has lost Dr. Jack Michael at age 94 years. Dr. Michael was an American psychologist and professor at Western Michigan University. He developed one of the first token economies and is also a pioneer of behaviour modification and what is now referred to as applied behaviour analysis

Lake Ridge Community Support Services is launching a new hub for On-Demand Foundational Family Services. This site will provide families registered to the OAP with videos, pre-recorded workshops, articles, downloadable and printable tools, tip sheets and more.

This is a copy of the DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION COMMUNITY of PRACTICE (DEI CoP) – DURHAM REGION’s Commitment Statement issued by the committee on Tue, Oct 20, 2020, at 9:01 AM in response to the disturbing news on school yearbooks emanating out of Pickering, ON. in which a black student’s yearbook tribute to his grandmother was replaced with a racist slur

10 fun tips to reimagine Halloween for your child with autism during the Covid-19 pandemic. From scavenger hunts to games and activities we have the best tips for Halloween 2020 and beyond. Plus a bonus tip.

The demand for applied behaviour analysis (ABA) has grown over the two last decades and as a result, independent ABA providers and centres serving individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities have multiplied. so here are some key criteria to consider when choosing an ABA provider to meet your child’s needs.

Practice is incredibly important when teaching new skills to individuals with autism in order for them to perform those new skills correctly. Here are some tips on when and how to practice teaching new skills.

Behaviour Consultant and Mom, Tarra McPail provides 7 essential tips for how you should approach your child's behaviour therapy plan with your BCBA.

Immediately following ‘the diagnosis’ I informed the school and meetings were held, and magically there were answers and strategies available to help my child learn. Although this started off positively, I soon realized that the strategies the school had were from a list of ‘known fixes’ and they were going to use these, and only these, strategies. The truth is that the education system has been struggling for a while to get the right supports and staff in place for children with varying needs.

Person first language is considered the correct way to refer to an individual with a label; with a disability. There is a widespread and pervasive understanding that we should see ‘the person first’ or ‘the person - not the disability’…. I challenge this notion as I find it places a negative and ableist understanding of disability, of autism, onto a person.

This spring, the Lake Ridge Community Support Services (LRCSS) received word that it received a three-year, $549,000 Grow grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to launch an evidence-based treatment program called, “Facing Your Fears” in Durham Region. This program is intended to support children with children and adolescents from ages eight to 12 diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

August 14, 2020 - To date, our first phase of reopening for return to in-person service at our Lake Ridge locations has been going well. The protective measures and screening protocols are keeping our clients and teams safe.

4-Aug-2020 2:30 pm - The Ontario Minister of Children. Community and Social Services announced the launch of phase 1 of the Ontario Autism Program’s (OAP) Foundational Family Services of which Lake Ridge Community Support Services will be a provider for the Eastern Ontario region. Here is what you need to know about these FREE services available to families registered with the OAP.

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services has recently released a new online Children and Young Persons’ Rights Resource (Rights Resource) (www.ontario.ca/RightsResource). Here is what you need to know.

In order to keep our clients, caregivers, guests and our staff safe during phase 2, phase 3 and subsequent phases of the government’s re-opening of Durham Region, Lake Ridge Community Support Services have put in specific protocols.

We are happy to inform everyone that as of July 6, we are resuming in-person service at our Lake Ridge locations only. When we see our clients in-person again to resume service, things will be a little different. Here are some of the new protocols we have put in place to ensure a safe return to in-person services.

The 2019/2020 fiscal year proved to be a very eventful year. Our staff and Board of Directors continued to be our cornerstone of success and innovation. Their dedication, creativity and commitment assisted Lake Ridge through the changes and challenges of the year, all while providing continued individualized, quality, behavioural services for all of our clients.

Given the recent government announcements regarding moving to stage 2, we are continually monitoring the situation and preparing our Agency and staff to start the transition back to in-person service. Barring no changes from the government, or with the current situation, we are planning to slowly resume face to face services, at our Lake Ridge locations only, starting July 6, 2020.

In this trying time, we’re all simply doing our best to find fun activities for our families to do. Below is a list of sensory activities that may occupy your kiddos and maybe even you too! Sensory activities are beneficial for entertainment as well as keeping the kids busy while parents have the opportunity to get some chores done (i.e., dishes, laundry etc.).