WHY MEANDER
A meander is a winding curve or path—one shaped by the landscape around it rather than following a straight line.
At Meander, this reflects how we think about behaviour, learning, and development. People are shaped by their environments, experiences, relationships, and individual strengths. There is no single path for learning, growth, or a meaningful life.
We believe support should begin with understanding the person and the context around them. Rather than working toward a predetermined version of success, we focus on what matters to each individual and family - building meaningful skills, creating supportive environments, and finding approaches that fit real life.
Meander represents the idea that a different path can still be a meaningful one.Progress doesn’t have to follow a straight line.
I’m Shannon Haynes, the Behaviour Analyst and founder behind Meander Behaviour & Learning. I created Meander to provide thoughtful, individualized support that takes the time to understand each person, what matters to them, and the world around them.
My experience has taken me across a variety of settings - from working with children and families in their homes and centre-based services, to consulting within schools and providing support through community and public-sector services. That range of experience has shaped how I work today: with an understanding that meaningful support needs to fit the person, their environment, and the realities of everyday life.
I’m a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and hold a Master of Applied Disability Studies, with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis, from Brock University.
Outside of work, you’ll usually find me running, hiking, skiing, spending time outdoors with my dogs, volunteering with Special Olympics, and making the most of everything the Okanagan has to offer.
Hi, I’m Shannon.
ABOUT MEMY APPROACHSupport shaped around the person.
goals, and the world around them. Taking the time to understand what matters to each individual and family helps ensure that the goals we work toward are meaningful and connected to everyday life.
My approach is compassionate, neurodiversity-affirming, and grounded in the science of behaviour and learning. I focus on building meaningful skills, supporting autonomy and self-advocacy, and understanding behaviour in context. This means considering why something may be happening, what a person may be communicating, and how the environment can better support them. The goal isn’t to make someone fit a particular idea of what they should do or be, but to support learning, participation, communication, and everyday life in ways that are meaningful to them.
I work collaboratively with families, educators, and other members of the support team to develop practical strategies that build on strengths and fit naturally into everyday routines and environments. My goal is for support to feel useful, realistic, and sustainable beyond our time together.
Shaped around each person’s strengths, needs, preferences and goals.
Individualized
Respecting different ways of thinking, learning communicating, and being.
Neurodiversity-affirming
Working alongside individuals, families, educators, and support teams.
Collaborative
Strategies designed to fit everyday life and support lasting change.
Practical & Sustainable