Pathway to Learning, Northern Ireland

ABOUT US
Pathway to Learning was formed in 2012 by a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst when the need for high quality intensive individualised intervention for Autism was at its highest. Our dynamic team of professionals collectively have over 30 year's experience in the field as well as qualifications in psychology, applied behaviour analysis, child development, autism and related disorders, PECS, pivotal response therapy, yoga/mindfulness and Makaton. Our dedication to updating our knowledge and continuing education makes us the leaders in our field.

MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to provide behaviour analytic consultancy that is individual and specialised, in order to pave the way for learning and educational enrichment. We strive to help each individual to achieve their potential and realise their true abilities by adhering to scientifically validated interventions.

WHAT IS ABA?
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is the natural science approach to observing, understanding and changing behaviour. It was not developed in response to the rise in autism but is based on over forty year's worth of scientific research and is a data-based discipline. Behaviour Analysis is the science of behaviour and Applied Behaviour Analysis is the application of that learning theory to improve socially significant behaviours. ABA never promises a cure but instead strives to help each individual reach their individual potential.

SERVICES

AUTISM Home Intervention services
The aim of PATHWAY TO LEARNING home intervention consultancy is to provide a fully comprehensive learning programme in the home setting. A wide range of skills can be taught such as imitation, language and communication skills, play and social skills, academics, adaptive skills, and peer interaction skills. PATHWAY TO LEARNING programmes recognise the importance of the role of parents in the education of their children. Intervention techniques are always developed together with parents to ensure relevance to daily life, ease of implementation and on-going generalisation of taught skills to the natural environment. PATHWAY TO LEARNING programmes are tailored to the specific individual needs of each child and acknowledge changes in these needs over time and across contexts. All programmes are suitably supervised by a BCBA.

EARLY INTERVENTION SPECIALISTS
Intervention for children with Autism and related disorders must commence as early as possible in order to achieve optimum outcomes. We do not wait for a diagnosis before implementing an early intensive behavioural intervention programme. Infants as young as 12 months who show markers for ASD can benefit greatly from ABA and eradicate a lot of the deficits. At PTL we have worked with children as young as 22 months using the Early Start Denver Model of teaching and Pivotal Response Training methods to teach communication, social skills and play.

SCHOOL SUPPORT SERVICES
Consistency of approach is key to successful learning and so we also provide school or nursery support for your child. Typically developing children learn during every moment of every day, but for children with autism, those learning opportunities may be missed in a group or school setting. All of the child's learning environments can be supported and learning opportunities talored to teach the individual skills if they are not learning spontaneously in their educational settings. Using the principles of ABA, our programmes work alongside educational providers to enhance your child's learning opportunities to help them make the most of every hour of every day.
In the past our school consultations and professional training services to educational staff have proved very successful.

AUTISM TRAINING:
At PATHWAY TO LEARNING we can provide individualised community/school training workshops on a variety of topics such as the Picture Exchange Communication system (PECS), autism awareness, behaviour management, toilet training, sensory behaviour management, visual supports, discrete trial training and promoting communication. Our courses are suitable for teachers, classroom assistants and related professionals working with individuals with autism and of course parents/carers of those on the spectrum.

POSITIVE PARENTING COURSES:
We also provide longer duration courses on positive parenting for the general population (not Special Needs) using a variety of curriculums, research and based on authors such as Glenn Latham, Alan Kazdin and evidence-based approaches such as the RUBI curriculum.

ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOURAL MANAGEMENT:
In the past we have provided training to staff in residential settings and managers in the areas of performance feedback; behaviour management of clients; building rapport among staff and clients; behaviour skills training and behaviour contracts. Individual training packages may be designed based on your organisation’s needs as well as ecological assessments or Aubrey Daniels’s PIC/NIC Analysis ®

YOGA
At PATHWAY TO LEARNING Evelyn and Elaine are trained in Rainbow Kids Yoga and provide 1:1 yoga and mindfulness practice in their therapy sessions as well as group community sessions. Yoga compliments ABA as both are dedicated to improving the overall well-being and health (physical and mental) of the individual. Our Sensory Yoga and Mindfulness classes are perfect for special educational needs kids who struggle with: Anxiety, Low self-esteem and Poor attention and focus.
The benefits of yoga and are significant and should be an integral proactive practice for all young people for well-being and calm