PEAT NI - Parents Education as Autism Therapists

25/04/2026

At today’s parent training, PEAT welcomed Caitlin Roddy (PhD Researcher) to tell parents about the Autism in the Air project in conjunction with QUB and Belfast City Airport

18/04/2026

📣 Free Parent Training Session – Next Saturday!

We’re looking forward to welcoming parents and carers to our next free training session happening next Saturday.

🗓 Date: 25th April 2026
⏰ Time: 10am-12:30pm
📍 Location: Foodstock EEC, 56 Kings Street, Belfast BT1 6AD

This session is designed to be practical and supportive. Parents are invited to bring along real-life situations or challenges they are experiencing at home, and together we’ll explore helpful strategies and ideas to support both you and your child in those moments.

It’s a great opportunity to share experiences, learn from others, and leave with approaches you can use straight away.

We’d love to see you there! 💬

17/04/2026

Congratulations Prof Karola Dillenburger, this is a great interview

How can applied behavior analysis interventions improve learning, safety, and daily life for people with autism across real world settings?

14/04/2026

13/04/2026

✨ Why proactive teaching matters in ABA ✨

In Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), one of the most powerful things we can do is teach skills before they’re urgently needed.

When children are only expected to use a skill in the middle of a stressful or overwhelming moment, it can feel too much. But when we proactively practice—in calm, safe, and supportive environments—something different happens 💛

We give children the chance to:
✔️ Learn at their own pace
✔️ Build real understanding
✔️ Experience success without pressure
✔️ Grow confidence in themselves

This gentle, compassionate approach isn’t about “fixing” behaviour—it’s about building skills. Skills like communication, waiting, coping, asking for help, and making choices.

And here’s the key…
When a child has practiced a skill many times in a positive way, they’re far more likely to be able to use it when it really matters—in real life, in real moments.

Over time, this leads to something incredibly important:
🌱 More independence
🗣️ A stronger voice
✨ Real choice and autonomy

Because when children can express themselves, can cope, and can make decisions—they’re not just responding to the world around them… they’re actively shaping their place in it.

Proactive teaching is not just preparation—it’s empowerment

11/04/2026

A big thank you to all the parents who joined us for today’s session.

In today’s session, we revisited key strategies including chaining, backward chaining, and forward chaining. We also explored a range of videos to help bring these ideas to life and support understanding. Alongside this, we discussed reinforcement, task analysis, and how chaining can support learning new skills. Parents also had the opportunity to explore some of these key principles and procedures using PORTL, helping to build confidence in applying some of these core approaches.

The session was led by Dr. Scott Graham (PEAT committee member) and supported by Dr. Stephen Gallagher (PEAT Chair).

Thank you again for your time, contributions, and willingness to learn.

Our next session will take place in two weeks, where we will focus on working together to explore practical ways to support your child in everyday situations.

06/04/2026

UPDATE!!!

Parents, we are still waiting for a response from NICE.

This evening, we have emailed NICE to request an update on when we can expect a response addressing the concerns outlined in our letter (see below).

As always, we will keep you updated as and when appropriate

Shared with Dropbox

05/04/2026

Happy Easter everyone 🐣🌸

We hope you all have a lovely couple of days—whether that means getting out and about, spending time with family, or simply taking the chance to relax and recharge.

Just a little reminder that our free parent training session is taking place next Saturday. We’d love to see as many of you there as possible!

📍 Location: Foodstock EEC, 56 Kings Street, Belfast BT1 6AD

🕒 Time: 10:00am - 12:30pm

31/03/2026

Reminder: Why professional recognition is important

fans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSI2UZfhsg8&list=PL5foR0WsEMROwysjQJnIYCsQYCBAjHNqi&index=48&t=18s

25/03/2026

The Easter holidays can be such a lovely time to slow down and enjoy family moments—but they can also bring big changes to routine, which can feel tricky for both children and parents.

If your child thrives on structure, those school breaks can sometimes lead to uncertainty, boredom, or even challenging behaviour. The good news is that a few simple strategies, inspired by Applied Behaviour Analysis, can really help make the days feel calmer and more predictable.

🌼 Try creating a loose daily structure
You don’t need a strict timetable, but having a general plan for the day (morning activity, lunch, afternoon outing, etc) can help your child know what to expect.

🐣 Use visuals where possible and if appropriate for your child
Simple visual schedules—pictures of activities or a “now and next” board—can make transitions easier and reduce anxiety (for our parents attending the biweekly sessions, remember you have to teach these behaviours 😊)

🎨 Mix preferred and non-preferred activities
Build in things your child loves throughout the day. This helps maintain motivation and makes less preferred tasks feel more manageable.

⏳ Prepare for transitions
Give gentle warnings before moving on (e.g., “5 more minutes, then we’re going to tidy up”). This can make a big difference.

💛 Keep it flexible
Not every day will go to plan—and that’s okay. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s creating a supportive and positive environment for your child.

Small changes can make a big difference. With a little structure and lots of understanding, the Easter break can be enjoyable for everyone 🌷

21/03/2026

A big thank you to all the parents and families who joined us for today’s training session — we really valued your time, engagement, and thoughtful contributions.

During the session, we explored mentalism and how it can shape (and sometimes limit) our understanding of behaviour. We also discussed social stories — recognising that while they can be a helpful part of an intervention, they often cannot be the complete package; we reflected on the complexity involved, including how children understand language, pictures, and words, and why this means we need to carefully question our assumptions.

We also spent time focusing on the importance of shaping and differential reinforcement, and how these approaches can support meaningful and lasting behaviour change.

Today’s session was facilitated by PEAT (Founder), Professor Mickey Keenan, and PEAT Committee Member, Dr. Scott Graham.

Thank you again for being part of such an important and reflective discussion 💙

The next session will be on the 11th April

17/03/2026

Our next FREE parent training session is Saturday 21st March

Time: 10:00am - 12:30pm
Location:** Foodstock EEC, 56 Kings Street, Belfast BT1 6AD

This session will be relaxed, welcoming, and practical — a chance to come together with other parents and talk about the real-life challenges (and joys!) of supporting your children

We encourage parents to come along with ideas or areas of family life where you'd like a bit of guidance or support — whether that's behaviour, routines, communication, or emotional wellbeing.

The session will be shaped around what *you* want help with.
*Free to attend
*Friendly and supportive environment
*Practical strategies you can use straight away

**To sign up for this FREE training, please click the link below:
https://tinyurl.com/3jpdzvce

We'd love to see you there — come as you are and bring your questions

@top fans