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Our Team

Graduate Alumni

Dr. Jeffrey Esteves (PhD)

Completion date: 2024
Dissertation title: “Evaluating telehealth and hybrid caregiver training model for teaching PECS”
Currently: at Hamilton Health Sciences

Dr. Rebecca Shine (PhD)

Completion date: 2021
Dissertation title: “Examining stress and coping in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder”
Currently: at Hamilton Health Sciences

Dr. Hilda Ho (PhD)

Completion date: 2021
Dissertation title: “Applied behaviour analysis in Taiwan: Examining how parents of children with autism perceive and select intervention options”
Currently: at BC Children’s Hospital

Dr. Azin Taheri (PhD)

Completion date: 2021
Dissertation title: “Examining autism symptom severity and structure in IQ groups”
Currently: at Holland Bloorview Hospital

Dr. Busi Zapparoli (PhD)

Completion date: 2020
Dissertation title: “Parenting stress in Zambian parents of children with developmental disabilities”
Currently: at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)

Dr. Odette Weiss (PhD)

Completion date: 2020
Dissertation title: “Parent outcomes in group intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder”
Currently: at Surrey Place

Dr. Nidhi Luthra (PhD)

Completion date: 2018
Dissertation title: “The experience of South Asian immigrant and Canadian mothers of children with a developmental disability: A mixed methods study”
Currently: at Hamilton Health Sciences

Dr. Ksusha Blacklock (PhD)

Completion date: 2016
Dissertation title: “Aspects of intensive behaviourial intervention quality and their relationship with child characteristics and outcomes”
Currently: at Holland Bloorview Hospital

Dr. Julie Koudys (PhD)

Completion date: 2012
Dissertation title: “The picture exchange communication system: A community implementation study”
Currently: at Brock University

Dr. E. Alice Prichard (PhD)

Completion date: 2011
Dissertation title: “Short-term follow-up of children with autism who have received intensive behavioural intervention”
Currently: at IWK Hospital

Dr. April Sullivan (PhD)

Completion date: 2010
Dissertation title: “Developmental trajectories of young children with autism enrolled in an intensive behavioural intervention program: What the ABLLS can tell us about their progress”
Currently: in private practice

Dr. Abbie Solish (PhD)

Completion date: 2010
Dissertation title: “Parents’ involvement in behavioural intervention for their children with autism”
Currently: at Holland Bloorview Hospital

Dr. Alissa Levy (PhD)

Completion date: 2010
Dissertation title: “Outcomes in adolescents and adults with autism”
Currently: in private practice

Dr. Helen (Penn) Flanagan (PhD)

Completion date: 2009
Dissertation title: “The impact of community-based intensive behavioural intervention”
Currently: at IWK Hospital

Undergraduate Alumni

Hannah Grande (Independent Study)

Completion date: 2024
Thesis title: “School transition experiences of children with developmental disabilities”

Elisa Valle (Independent Study)

Completion date: 2024
Thesis title:
“Children with autism: Effects on mothers”

Zaina Aloissi (Independent Study)

Completion date: 2023
Thesis title: “Symptoms of autism in probands and siblings in relation to parents’ broader autism phenotype traits”

Jordana Rotenberg (Independent Study)

Completion date: 2023
Thesis title: “Parental coping as a mediator for stress when accounting for child variables of children with autism spectrum disorder”

Gemma Graziosi (Honours)

Completion date: 2022
Thesis title:
“Sex and age trajectories in aberrant behaviour in children/youth with severe autism”

Tian Kuan (Honours)

Completion date: 2021
Thesis title:
“The experience of Canadian immigrant families of children with autism spectrum disorder”

Rebecca Spiegel (Honours)

Completion date: 2021
Thesis title:
“Occurrence and predictors of challenging behavior in youth with intellectual disability with or without autism”

Meisha Charles (Honours)

Completion date: 2020
Thesis title:
“School satisfaction in parents of children with severe developmental disabilities”

Alexander Patterson (Honours)

Completion date: 2018
Thesis title:
“Family quality of life when there is more than one child with a developmental disability”

The furry friends who frequently join us for our virtual meetings

Dori, Ori, and Nori

From left to right, we are Dori, Ori, and Nori.  We are littermates. Although we’re named after dwarfs from the Lord of the Rings, we are basically lords of the household. We also often attend meetings Adrienne does on zoom, especially me, Ori (I’m the one in the middle). I have a very special Amazon box in her office where I sleep through most of her meetings. People think we all look alike but we don’t think so. This is how Adrienne can tell us apart: I, Ori, am the biggest and lightest in colour (I’m also the smartest of course); Nori (on the right) is the fluffiest and most playful; Dori (on the left) is the smallest and sweetest. She likes to sit on Adrienne’s lap because she doesn’t have a nice box like I do.

Kitty

Hi, I’m Kitty. However, my birth name is Nuage. The story behind the name change is that grandma thought it was cute to call me “Kitty” all the time when I was a baby, so I thought it was my name and now it’s one of the only words I know. I sleep most hours of the day and, in the few I’m not sleeping, I enjoy charging at people and making them run away. My favourite hangout place is sitting on the car in the garage. I like to be around my master (Christina) all the time and I often follow her around. I have accepted that she shows love by squishing me tightly. We can be friends if you feed me the leftover milk from your cereal. 

Moufette

My name is Moufette, but I also go by: Mouf, Mouffie, Mouf Meister, Mr. Mouf, and Mouf Man. My name was given to me because apparently I look like a skunk (but I think I am much cuter). I enjoy ripping up carpet, digging in blankets, and chewing cords. My favourite foods are bananas and kale. I particularly like the kale that mom grows in the garden so it’s nice and fresh (I deserve nothing less than the best). My best friend is my cat sister Kitty. I enjoy tormenting her by chasing her around the house when she’s trying to sleep. My least favourite things include being touched (especially when I just cleaned myself) and getting my hair cut. 

Peach

Hi there, my name is Peach, and I am a fierce diva who loves to werk it. I love eating everything, especially desserts and cords. My favourite toy is my mouse filled with catnip and I love playing fetch but only at 3am. My least favourite things are boundaries and getting my nails cut.

Poe

Hi, I’m Poe and I’m the original angel baby boy. My favourite activities include parkour and scratching the couch. I love eating out of the garbage and napping in closets. My least favourite things are being brushed and sunlight. 

Russell

Hi, my name is Russell but my humans mostly call me “STOP THAT”. I used to rough it on the streets but now I live like the pampered man I deserve to be. I am the chattiest feline you will ever meet (especially if there’s food around). I am enamored with food…I help myself to anything I can find (ask my mom about the roast beef). 

Toby

Hey everyone! My name is Toby, and I am a 4-year-old labradoodle who is still a young pup at heart. My favourite foods are bananas, cheese, peanut butter, and carrots. My hobbies include sleeping, chasing and barking at squirrels in the backyard, looking out the house’s front window, and my favourite activity of all is when my humans chase me while I’m holding my favourite steak toy. 

Diesel

Hi I’m Diesel, and I am the king of the household. Obviously I’m the best pet in this house. I’m adorable and have great fur…what else do I need? When I’m not in my favourite spot soaking up the sun, you can find me eating, sleeping, or running away (the only time I run) from these filthy dogs my humans call cute. I often wonder why dogs even walk this earth and why we have two when we could have none. In an attempt to get these mutts in trouble, I vomit on the carpet, but my humans always know it’s me (must be the fur). I sometimes enjoy the occasional parkour but it’s too much running, so I go back to meowing for more food. My favourite things include head and chin scratches, and my least favourite things (if you couldn’t tell already) are these dogs I’m told are my siblings. 

Honey and Bear

From left to right, we are Honey and Bear, and we basically run this household (don’t listen to the cat). I, Bear (on the right), am older than Honey (despite my rat like size), and I often question why she is even here (something me and the cat can agree on). All she does is terrorize us and steal my treats. I usually spend my days sleeping, eating, hiding from Honey, and occasionally begging for human food (every time I see them at the dinner table). I, Honey, am the baby of this family, so I get the most special treatment. I don’t know what my siblings are saying but we have the best time. My days consist of eating, sleeping, jumping on Bear, biting Bear, biting Diesel, scratching Diesel, barking, crying, and begging for food. It’s the best! My favourite foods are Bear’s treats and I love baths (surprisingly)! 

Dot

Hi, my name is Dot, but everyone calls me Dottie! My name fits me perfectly because I have three black spots on my side that I love to show off. My people like to say I look like a cow because of my black and white fur, or like a raccoon because of the stripe on my tail, which is insulting because I am the prettiest cat in the world! One of my favorite activities is chomping and leaving my teeth marks all over plastic bags, cords, and even book covers (yum). I also love to beg for cheese (my absolute favorite food!) which, outrageously, I am not allowed to have because I am lactose intolerant.