ABOUT
Get to Know Me
and My Philosophy
ABOUT ME
Amy Rogness Ris,
Infant/Early Childhood Development Consultant & Parenting Educator
Amy fell head over heels for supporting children and families when she began working as a behaviour interventionist with a young girl with autism in 2003 — an experience that forever changed her life for the better.
Over the past 20+ years, Amy has worked with hundreds of children and families in homes, schools, and communities, supporting children with diverse needs including ASD, ADHD, and FASD. Along the way, many children have affectionately nicknamed her “The Play Doctor” — their way of describing someone who connects through play, relationships, and understanding.
Amy currently serves as Assistant Director of Early Years programs at DDA and is a Registered Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator, using an attachment- and relationship-based approach to support families. She has additional training in trauma-informed practice and currently serves as President of the Western Canada Association for Infant Mental Health (WCAIMH).
Most importantly, Amy is “Mum” to her own growing son and brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work — understanding firsthand the joys, complexities, and beautifully messy realities of parenting.
MY APPROACH
Amy believes that the most important part of a child's development are the adults that surround that child. As a developmentalist who delights in parents "falling in love" with their own children, she could not have said it better than psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner: "A child requires progressively more complex joint activity with one or more adults who have an irrational emotional relationship with the child. Somebody’s got to be crazy about that kid." In her work, she encourages & teaches parents how to be the "secure base" & "safe haven" that children need to explore their world & return to the safety of their "big person" & becoming the parent that is "irrationally crazy" about their child (while also being able to set limits with firm boundaries and kind hearts!)
