There is an increasing amount of evidence that attending a high-quality preschool has numerous short-term as well as long-term benefits on children. The brain is rapidly developing between the ages of 2 and 5, so it is important that children are provided with opportunities that facilitate their natural stages of development during this period of…
Tips for a Successful Parent-Teacher Interview
With the New Year well underway, many parents recently received a copy of their child’s report card. Some school boards use the upcoming parent-teacher interviews to specifically meet with parents of students whose academic achievement has declined significantly or whose placement in an alternative (e.g. gifted) or special education program is being considered. It’s important…
8 Special Education & IEP Terms Parents Should Know
Special education and the process of developing an Individual Education Plan (IEP) can sometimes seem like it involves a foreign language. There are so many terms and acronyms! Parents often find this very frustrating during their meetings with the school, so we’ve compiled this list of key terms to help you learn the “IEP…
New Fall 2016 Programs & Workshops for Parents and Kids
Parenting the ADD/ADHD Child: 1 Day Workshop in Toronto on October 22nd What: This one-day workshop is for parents with ADD/ADHD children ages 5-12 years. This workshop is designed for both Hyperactive and Inattentive types, as well as those with symptoms but no diagnosis or weaknesses in executive functions. The one-day workshop is an intensive version…
5 Essential Tips for Back to School
The first week of school went by in the blink of an eye. This time of year can be an exciting and happy one as well as a sad and anxious for both parents and kids. The transition from summer fun to classroom rigour can sometimes trigger mixed emotions, which are often accompanied by challenges associated…
What Now? Parenting the ADHD Child
Are you a parent or caregiver of a child between the ages of 5 and 12 who has ADHD? Then keep reading (this message is for you). Do you … Feel overwhelmed and stressed about how to manage your child’s poor attention? Worry about what others think and if they’re judging your parenting? Feel isolated from family & friends who don’t…
The Value of Play Therapy for Children
By Camilla Rangel Moreira, Registered Psychotherapist Many parents of younger children have questions about the value of play therapy – what it is, how it works and why it’s different than the type of play your child might do at home. So here are some answers to help clarify your concerns. The Importance of Play…
The Best Time of Year for a Psychoeducational Assessment
Psychoeducational assessments can be used to guide educators in how your child learns and where they struggle. With final report cards on the way, you may be thinking your child could use more personalized attention to facilitate their strengths and accommodate their weaknesses. Instead of waiting until the next school year to arrange psychoeducational testing…
The Importance of Setting Parenting Goals
A couple of weeks ago we ran our first webinar, How to Help Your Child Achieve More in 2016. We had an amazing turnout and received some really great feedback, so we thought we’d share some of the information and advice with everyone here on our blog! We all set personal goals, especially at the…
Free Webinar: How To Help Your Kids Achieve More in 2016
Our first post of 2016! We hope your year is off to a great start. The new year is often a time for reflection, resolutions and goal-setting. While personal goals – such as healthy eating and exercise – are important, parents often fail to set and review their parenting goals. Your child’s success starts with you, the…
Halloween Parenting Tips
Halloween is fast approaching, and children have long been dreaming about their costumes and their upcoming hauls of candy. Halloween can be a great deal of fun—friends are out, the houses are decorated, and the Halloween excitement can even take over the reality of schoolwork (writing a pop-quiz is easier when you are dressed like…
A Guide to Choosing the Right School
It is the time of the year when kids have returned to school and they are starting to settle into their classes. But for many children, particularly those who are entering a transitional grade, big changes are coming! This is an important time for you as a parent and for your child to start exploring…
Back to School Tips (+ Checklist for Parents)
The beginning of a new school year is a very exciting time for parents and students alike. However, after the school supply list has been checked off and the lunches have been planned, there are still things that all parents and guardians can do to ease the emotional component of the transition back to school….
Learning Styles – An Easier Way To Learn
In this post we will focus your attention on the different types of learning that suit children. Although children can learn in different ways, they will often have an innate preference for a certain learning style. This style allows children to absorb, process, and retain information in the most effective way. Therefore, understanding a child’s…
A Guide to Gifted and Learning Disabled Children
We have written about giftedness on this blog in the past. We have also written about learning disabilities and psychoeducational assessments. However, what happens when a student simultaneously exhibits exceptional intellectual capacity with significant weaknesses and deficits in specific areas of learning? Gifted/LD is a paradox that is often seen as falling on either end…
Executive Functions: The Brain’s CEO
While we are all different in the responsibilities that we manage and how we spend our time, we all share the fact that we have daily tasks to complete. We are able to move through these tasks and function in a productive way thanks to a set of skills called executive functions. Executive functions are…
The Dark Side of Public Shaming Parenting
You may have noticed recently that public shaming videos have been creeping up on online forums with increased frequency. Parents often create these videos in reaction to their child doing something they disapprove of, in an attempt to teach them a lesson. At first glance, these videos might seem like a harmless, creative way to…
Parents Guide to IEPs & Psychoeducational Re-assessments
In Canada, education is a constitutional right and therefore every child has the right to be provided with education based on his/her needs. While most students can succeed within the set structure and school curriculum, kids with special needs (like learning disabilities, ADHD, and other behavioural or social-emotional problems) require a tailored educational program in…
How to Deal with a Bad Report Card
The countdown to summer means that it’s almost report card time. Many parents have high academic expectations of their children, so when the grades on a final report card do not meet those expectations, it’s easy to overreact. So here are strategies you can use to make report season a more enjoyable experience for all…
8 Ways to Prevent Summer Learning Loss
With summer vacation just around the corner, many children are quietly (or not so quietly) anticipating their upcoming two months of carefree fun. Parents however, often worry that all this fun during the summer will lead to brain drain, the idea that learning loss and regression in skills can occur when children aren’t cognitively stimulated….
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