Saima Ijaz

PROFILE UPDATED ON MARCH 9, 2009

Consultant Information

Title:

Dr

Last Name:

Ijaz

First Name:

Saima

Profession:

Behaviour Consultant

Agency Affiliation:

Intensive Solutions

Street Address:

9207, 106th Avenue

City:

Fort St. John

Province/State:

British Columbia

Postal Code/Zip Code:

V1J 2N5

Telephone: (including area code)

250-261-2929

Fax: (including area code)

250-261-2929

E-mail:

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Website:

www.autismsolutions.info

Region(s) Served

Fraser

Interior

Vancouver Coastal

Vancouver Island

North

X

Areas served within region(s)

Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Hudson Hope, Charlie Lake, Taylor, Rose Prairie.

Languages in addition to English:

Services Provided Directly Relating to Autism

Overall design of an individualized intervention program

X

Development of specific teaching strategies/programs

X

Training of interventionists and/or parents

X

Supervision of data collection and analysis, monitoring progress

X

Designing, implementing, and supervising language and communication programs

X

Designing, implementing, and supervising programs related to motor skills

X

Designing, implementing, and supervising programs related to activities of daily living

X

Designing, implementing, and supervising programs related to sensory problems

X

Designing, implementing, and supervising programs related to teaching social skills

X

Designing, implementing, and supervising programs to teach academic skills

X

Community training sessions and workshops

X

Education (specify area of study)

Degrees/Diplomas/Certificates

Name of Institution

Year Degree Obtained

MD-Medical Doctor

Medical Licentiate of Canada
License #9977091

2000

MBBS-Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor
of Surgery

Rawalpindi Medical College, Punjab University, Pakistan
92 51 928 1011-6

1989

Agency/School

Professional Experience:

I have a strong background in child development and development delays that includes years of training in assessment and diagnosis but not  applied behaviour analysis (ABA). However, I have taken various courses in ASD, (mainly in the US) in order to better understand my own child with ASD’s learning process and to assist with his educational program. I began learning more about autism spectrum disorder in the 1990s. The strategies I developed to help my child attain educational and social skills were studied and approved by Dr. Nicole Walton Allen who incorporated them into her interventions with my child. Dr. Walton Allen, who is also a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) is Director of the Behaviour Institute in Hamilton, Ontario and a consultant to several Ontario agencies and school boards. She supervised my son’s program from March, 2000 to May, 2002

Since then, I have designed and implemented programs for a number of families, many of which had no success with other programs and/or were not able to manage the emotional and financial burdens.

Since 2004, I have been working as a behaviour consultant in BC. The program I use doesn’t follow a standard curriculum; however, the children under my supervision have mastered the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills - Revised (ABLLS-R) objectives within 2 years. The ABLLS-R is an assessment tool, curriculum guide and skills-tracking system used to guide language instruction and critical learner skills for children with ASD and other developmental disabilities. They have acquired enough coping skills to overcome sensory based problems they experienced in school environments and have acquired the verbal/visual communicative and self-help skills required to successfully enter kindergarten.

Snapshot of Your Philosophy and Approach to Working with Individuals and Families with Autism

Working with children with autism has enriched my thinking in a very special way. I feel very committed to my new, adopted profession and the families that I work with. I believe that every child with autism has amazing learning potential that can be brought to the surface by encouraging her or him to engage in a set of predetermined, parallel activities, in a comfortable and stimulating environment.

The child himself will provide an insight into which teaching strategies (e.g., DTT/ incidental/ parallel activities) and communication (verbal, gestural, visual, picture communication symbols, text or combinations thereof) are required to broaden his or her thinking and learning processes. This information is used to pace a program to suit a child’s changing demands; to create materials to help build communication, self-help, academic, problem-solving, play, and other skills; and to help build environmental awareness -- a process of analyzing learning processes to pinpoint the senses he or she may not be using to the fullest.

In my view, program setup is just one part in the process of helping each child reach his or her full potential; this depends on a group effort that involves families and members of the community. I am a strong believer in parents, other family members, and friends being active members of a child’s support team.

Professional Development Activities:

• 2002, Orlando, Florida. Attendance at the Second International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) Conference, sponsored by the University of California-Davis MIND Institute.
  
  
• 2001, San Diego, CA. Attendance at First International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR)Conference, sponsored by the University of California-Davis MIND Institute and Cure Autism Now.
  
  
• 2000, Los Angeles. Attendance at a workshop on sensory integration and training entitled, Assessment of Sensory Integration as it Relates to Functional Performance,” sponsored by the University of California-Davis Ayres Clinic.
  
  
• 1999, Hamilton, Ontario. BoardMaker Training series sponsored by the Affiliated Services for Children and Youth.
  
  
• 1999, University of California-Los Angeles. Attendance at training and consultation session on behavior intervention presented by UCLA staff trainer Jodi Deming, under the supervision of Dr. Ivar Lovaas.
  
  
• 1998, Anaheim, CA. Attendance at the 5-day Greenspan Training start-up program for working with children with autism sponsored by the Optional Institute.

Publications and Conference Presentations:

• August, 2008, Pakistan, India. 2-day workshop on autism awareness and understanding for the medical post-graduates, Rawalpindi Medical College. Holy Family and Regional General Hospitals.
  
  
• November, 2006, Pakistan, India. Two day seminar entitled,  “An Insight into an Autistic Mind”, on teaching strategies based on strengths for home programming. Sponsored by the Clinical Psychology Department, Government College, Lahore.
  
  
• May of 2002, Hamilton, ON. Presentation for pre-school resource teachers entitled, “Teaching Play and Receptive Language Skills to Non-Verbal Children with ASD.”

In addition to the above, I provide local and long distance training and education to families, school district support staff, child development staff, and other interested agencies and organizations, on supporting families with children with ASD. My goal is to enhance understanding of the effective interaction and communication strategies.

Description of fee schedule

Consultation fee is $100/hr. For the initial program setup, from assessment, to at-home program implementation, the cost is around $1200. Monthly supervision required depends on individual needs and family requests, and ranges between 3 to 6 hours.

References (Academic, Clinical, Family)

Available on request