Introducing… an applied behaviour analysis services coordinator

Amy Phillips is the program coordinator for Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Services and Supports at Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre. She has been working at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) for five years.

Favourite colour: green/ vacation spot: I love to travel, and always enjoy visiting somewhere new/ music: alternative, rock, country/ animal: cats/ food: chocolate/ holiday: Christmas

What does a typical day at work look like for you?
A typical work day includes speaking with parents and caregivers about our services, registering new children to our program, meeting with our local and regional teams to discuss and plan for upcoming services, and maintaining our central waitlist. Every day is different and there are always pressures and competing priorities. It keeps me on my toes.

What do you love most about your job?
I love getting to collaborate and work with others. It’s also always so wonderful to hear directly from parents and caregivers about how our services have had an impact on their child and their family. I love hearing my colleagues’ success stories.

Describe one of your most challenging days at work.
Every day is new, different, and can be challenging. Our ABA program serves over 2,300 children between the ages of 1 and 18 years old and their families. Each child is unique and has an individualized goal for service. Planning out services requires some creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. In addition, the field of autism and autism services are always evolving. Our team has become very resilient. It’s so important to be flexible and open to new ideas.

“It’s also always so wonderful to hear directly from parents and caregivers about how our services have had an impact on their child and their family. I love hearing my colleagues’ success stories.”

What do you wish you had more time for at work?
I just wish there were more hours in a day. It would be wonderful to have more time to meet as a large team for service planning. There are always opportunities for us to continuously improve our services, but often that takes time.

What do you do after work to unwind?
I enjoy spending time playing at the park with my son, baking, going for a run, or have a relaxing bath.

Tell us about your most gratifying experience at HHS.
Seeing families connect through our Family Nights. Once a month we partner with Autism Ontario and our social worker in Autism Spectrum Disorder Services to provide an evening for the entire family. The night includes a parent support group, a play group for children with autism, and a group for siblings. It’s so wonderful to see parents and caregivers connecting with one another and children developing friendships.