Bio

Gisela Regli, Director
DESS-TED, ESDM Certified Trainer and Therapist

Gisela Regli is the founder and director of Cocoon Development (2009). She has a combined work experience of 30 years in education and management. Over the last decade she worked with toddlers on the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and became a strong advocate of scientific, evidence-based behavioural early intervention. She is Quebec’s first, and to date only, certified Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) therapist. ESDM is a play-based, developmental and behavioural intervention that addresses ASD symptoms in toddlers as young as 12 months at risk of developing the disorder. Gisela trains parents and professionals and disseminates the ESDM in France and Québec. She also lectures on autism, applied behaviour analysis (ABA), problem behaviours and other intervention models for ASD in both French and English.     

Publications

Book:

Regli, G., (2015) The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). In J. Cottraux (Ed.), Prise en charge comportementale et cognitive du trouble du spectre autistique, collection “Médecine et psychothérapie – progress en Progrès en TCC (1), France: Elsevier Masson.  

(1): Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)

Paper:

Rivard, M., Regli, G., & Forget, J. (2013). “The functional analysis of verbal behavior in persons with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or an Intellectual Disability”. Revue Francophone de Clinique Comportementale et Cognitive RFCCC 17(1), 8-19.

Research Symposia:

Regli, G. (2013, October). Bringing the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) to Non-English Speaking environments. In M. Rivard (Chair), Challenges of Training, Research and Clinical Application of Behavioral Intervention Programs in Non-English Environments. Symposium conducted at the Seventh International ABAI Conference, Mérida, Mexico.

Regli G. (2013, March). The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). In L. Klintwall (Chair), Primary reinforcers, early development of non-social behaviour, and implication for intervention. Symposium conducted at the Third annual conference of the Quebec Association for Behavior Analysis, QcABA. 

Rivard, M. & Regli, G. (2012, March). Verbal behaviour and behaviour problems in young children with ASD: Challenges for assessment and early intervention. Symposium conducted at the Second annual conference of the Quebec Association for Behavior Analysis, QcABA.  

Regli, G., Kerr, K., Rivard, M. & Forget, J. (2011, March). Changes in the social and verbal behaviours of children with autism spectrum disorders during early intervention. In M. Rivard (Chair), Diversified Applications of Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention: Service Methods and Intervention Strategies. Symposium conducted at the Sixth ABAI International Conference, Grenada, Spain.