Media releases

• Panel talk Tuesday to examine how businesses can use their power for good

  Monday, April 03, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 4 April 2017 – R00071

  Making money is good, but making money while remaining socially responsible is even better.

  The topic of corporate social responsibility will be the focus of this year’s Business Matters panel discussion, being held Tuesday, April 4 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

  Making Business Matter is the third in a series of panel talks organized by Brock University’s Goodman School of Business. Previous Business Matters discussions have focused on the music industry and innovation in business.

  Panelists this year include Betty-Lou Souter, CEO, Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold; Jim Letwin, CEO and Co-owner, Jan Kelley; Shannon Passero, Owner, Shannon Passero Design; and Todd Green, Assistant Professor, Goodman School of Business.

  The four panelists will discuss the latest trends in corporate social responsibility, how organizations choose which causes and initiatives to support, and how they communicate their social responsibility efforts to the public.

  The event starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Free tickets are required for entry and are available online, by calling 905-688-0722 or through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office.

  Suggested donations of $5 for Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold will be accepted at the door.

  The Making Business Matter event is supported by the Wilmot Foundation and is part of the D.G. Wilmot leader series.

  What: Making Business Matter panel discussion
  Who: Shannon Passero, Betty-Lou Souter, Jim Letwin, Todd Green
  When: Tuesday, April 4 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
  Where: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
   
  Members of the media are invited to attend but must confirm attendance in advance as tickets are required for entry. Interview opportunities following the event can be arranged.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
   
  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock-chaired Ontario taskforce releases report evaluating autism interventions

  Monday, April 03, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 31 March 2017 – R00070

  In the lead-up to World Autism Awareness Day on Sunday, April 2, a Brock University-chaired provincial taskforce has released a report that says a scientific approach is the best option when assisting people with autism.

  Julie Koudys, assistant professor in Brock’s Centre for Applied Disabilities Studies, says applied behaviour analysis programs and services are based on scientific methods that help understand, and improve, a variety of behaviours in different settings.

  “We strongly believe these evidence-based interventions deliver immediate benefits in terms of improving quality of life, but also represent significant long-term benefit and cost savings,” says Koudys, who chairs the Ontario Scientific Expert Taskforce for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (OSETT-ASD). The taskforce was commissioned by the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysts (ONTABA).

  The taskforce began its work last year following the announcement of a new Ontario Autism Program that would begin this June.

  The taskforce’s report, “Evidence-Based Practices For Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Recommendations for Caregivers, Practitioners, and Policy Makers” describes ways in which applied behaviour analysis brings about specific results. Examples include:

  •    Cognitive behavioural intervention: learners are taught to examine their own thoughts and emotions, recognize when these are becoming too intense, and then use strategies to change their thinking and behaviour
  •    Parent training and parent-implemented interventions: programs in which parents are trained to carry out some or all of the intervention(s) with their own child, including teaching their child new skills and/or decreasing challenging behaviour
  •    Functional behaviour assessment: a systematic way of determining the underlying function or purpose of a behaviour so that an effective intervention plan can be developed

  The report makes a number of recommendations on how to move forward with such interventions.

  “We sincerely hope the information in this report will be helpful in very practical ways to families and practitioners as they try to make the best decisions for their children and their clients,” says Koudys.
  “We also hope this information will help policy makers use public dollars most effectively to meet the needs of this vulnerable population,” she says.
  The Taskforce also includes Kimberley Zonneveld, assistant professor in Brock’s Centre for Applied Disability Studies, and Tricia Vause, associate professor in Brock’s Child and Youth Studies Program.

  Brock University is a major player in the field of applied behaviour analysis.

  Koudys says Ontario has “one of the highest concentrations of behaviour analysts per capita in the world,” and that around half of the analysts in this are Brock graduates from the M.ADS and M.A. programs offered through the Centre for Applied Disability Studies.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
   
  * Cathy Majtenyi, Research Communications/Media Relations Specialist, Brock University, cmajtenyi@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5789 or 905-321-0566

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases