As late as mid-October, you might have spotted a monarch butterfly or two migrating through Leaside enroute to their winter home in central Mexico. On their journey of over 3,000 kilometres, the butterflies wisely cross the Great Lakes at their narrowest points, like Point Pelee National Park, where they can rest before crossing Lake Erie. They fly 200 kilometres a day over two months encountering habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides. The monarch’s journey is a miracle of nature.
Just as the last monarch butterfly left Leaside, Monarch House opened in Leaside at 25 Industrial St. to help those dealing with the many challenges of autism such as missing social and communication cues, facing problems with routine changes and flexibility, experiencing sensory processing differences, or dealing with difficulties starting and completing tasks.
Samantha Herberman, the clinical director at Monarch House Leaside, is a Registered Behaviour Analyst (RBA Ontario), MADS, and Board-Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA). She has over 10 years of experience supporting children, parents, and families to achieve their goals and engage in healthy relationships with one another.
Monarch House has a network of clinics across Canada: eight in Ontario, one in Calgary, and five in British Columbia. As Samantha explained, “Their services assist families in establishing positive behaviour and reducing or eliminating inappropriate behaviour; improving how clients interact and express their needs and wants including using assistive devices; helping with academics, reading and writing skills, as well as functional and vocational skills; developing and improving dexterity, strength, mobility and hand-eye coordination. In a nutshell, my role is to support people who support children.”
Samantha’s personal journey to her role at Monarch House seems pre-destined. “I’m a hybrid of my dad, a management consultant, and my mom, a special education teacher,” she said. “I’ve always been interested in working with children. As a youngster I helped Mom set up her classroom. In high school I did a co-op work term in an autism class and worked at summer camp for years, where I met my husband. Then, during my undergraduate studies, in psychology, I worked with teens in group homes. However, it was when I was completing my master’s in applied disability studies with a specialization in applied behaviour analysis that I found my calling, and which, as I gained work experience, eventually led me to Monarch House.”
When asked about work-life balance as a working mom with a toddler and five-year-old, Samantha spoke glowingly about Monarch House’s caring professional team and her supportive family team on the home front. She added, “Although fitness is currently taking a back seat, finding daycare space near the office has been a blessing.”
On their website, Monarch House features informative videos like “Early Signs of Autism in Children” and such blog posts as “Ten Ways to Create a Visual Schedule for Children.” They also have speakers available to offer insight into autism and ways families can navigate the autism journey. And as the clinic’s name suggests, perhaps we can all take inspiration from those mighty monarchs flying to their safe haven. https://monarchhouse.ca/toronto/
