About
The highest professional standards are needed to form the school team that serves students with autism in order for them to benefit from their school program. Canopy Autism Solutions School Consultation Program provides consultation, direct assistance, and professional development to help school systems effectively serve students diagnosed with autism and related disorders. School consultants are board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) who provide a variety of behavior analytic services within the school setting aimed at both improving the students’ skillset and decreasing behavioral barriers to learning.
CONSULTATION OVERVIEW
Consultation services include the observation of teachers and students to determine strengths in the instructional programs, as well as individualized needs. Consultation can be arranged with teachers, para-educators, or teaching teams to suggest and/or demonstrate evidence-based techniques and strategies to strengthen or improve performance in the classroom.
Canopy BCBAs can provide
- Development/assistance with specific IEP goals,
- Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs), and
- Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) for students.
Typically, direct assistance to students includes individual therapy that would specifically target language deficits that impede the development of social-emotional reciprocity. Individualized ABA assessments are tailored to the needs of the student and may include:
- Promoting Emergence of Advanced Knowledge (PEAK) Comprehensive Assessment,
- Direct Skills assessments, Preference and Reinforcer Assessments, and
- Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), including Functional Analysis (FA), as warranted.
Programs would be selected from the empirically-validated PEAK curriculum. In addition, social and coping skills for students may be established through the class wide implementation of the Accept, Identify, Move (AIM) curriculum for any class containing at-risk students. The AIM curriculum is built from Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) which combines mindfulness based practices with behavior change procedures. Individual or group therapy sessions would be conducted by a trained Behavior Technician under the supervision of a BCBA.
PEAK LANGUAGE TRAINING SYSTEM
Canopy utilizes the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge (PEAK) language training system, which is one of 19 published assessments approved for use in ABA therapy. PEAK is unique in its identification of a child’s understanding of how two things relate to one another based on learned experiences.
PEAK also has some of the best clinical research evidence on its effectiveness in helping children with autism and can be used by special education teachers, parents, and caregivers in cooperation with an ABA provider.
CONTINUING EDUCATION TRAINING
For professional development, we are able to provide an entire array of training for teachers and staff. A list of currently available trainings is available upon request. Other specific trainings can be produced at district request.
Contact Information
To request information about the Autism School Consultation Program, please contact us as 769-777-1100.
Meet Our Staff
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Christopher Furlow, BCBA-D, Ph.D., LBA
Dr. Chris Furlow is the Director of Autism Solutions for Canopy, joining as the manager of the Canopy Children’s Solutions’…
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Nicole Thomason, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Nicole Thomason serves as a Behavior Analyst II for Canopy Children’s Solutions working in the Early Intervention Autism Clinic in…
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Robyn Brewer, MS, BCBA, LBA
Robyn Brewer serves as a Behavior Analyst II within Canopy Children’s Solutions’ Center of Excellence in Jackson. As part of…
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Amanda Kirk, MA, BCBA, LBA
Amanda Kirk serves as Behavior Analyst I for Canopy Children’s Solutions working in the School Consultation Program with Autism Solutions…
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Kathryn Rankin, MA, BCBA, LBA
Kathryn Rankin, a board certified behavior analyst, is a school consultant working with Canopy’s Autism Solutions and the school consultation program.…