Balance Program (developed by Dr. Ruppel and Dr. Hanley)

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Balance is a home-based, parent-implemented, skill-based program for children who have recently been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.  The purpose of the balance program is to create balance in parent-child relationships.  Parents learn to follow the child’s lead some of the time and children learn communication, toleration, and cooperation skills through systematic exposure to challenging situations and explicit teaching of how to respond, using reinforcement.

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The Balance program aims prevent the development of severe problem behaviour in children that may be engaging in non-dangerous problem behaviour such as whining, yelling, flopping to the floor, swiping items.  The program consists of 10 customizable lessons, rooted in behavioural and early childhood research. To participate in the balance program, parents will need to commit 10 minutes of their time, twice per day, to practice the skills with their child.  In addition, parents will need to commit to 1 to 2 hours of virtual contact with the facilitator for coaching and teaching of the different skills.

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​Exclusionary Criteria: Child who display dangerous problem behaviour such as aggression towards others (hitting, kicking, biting, scratching etc.) or themselves (self-injurious behaviour).  If your child demonstrates dangerous behaviour towards themselves or others, a skill-based treatment and practical functional assessment is recommended.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Does my child need to be diagnosed with autism?

 

No, your child does not need to be diagnosed with autism or anything else.  If you find your child is engaging in non-dangerous problem behaviour and you are interested in creating balance in your parent-child relationship, the balance program is recommended

 

My child is non-verbal, can we still participate?

 

Absolutely!  We welcome you to our program

 

How old should the child be?

 

The program was designed for children who are preschool age but will still be available and beneficial for children who are older than 2-4