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Using Toys at Home to Promote Language

Using Toys at Home to Promote Language

Parents often want to help promote the language skills their child is learning at school in their own home setting. But they often don’t know how or where to start. There are many ways to get started by using toys that are available right at home! Two simple ways to start are through narration and …

The Importance of Functional Reading

The Importance of Functional Reading

Obtaining an acceptable level of literacy can greatly improve many factors in your life, including improvements to your social life, education, and career prospects. The ability to read, write, and understand information can hugely impact your employability. If you need support with literacy or numeracy skills, there is plenty of help available. Getting Support Improving literacy …

A New Year, A New Challenge:  A Better Way to Think About Neurodiverse Individuals

A New Year, A New Challenge:  A Better Way to Think About Neurodiverse Individuals

The neurodiversity community believes: Autism and other neurological variations (learning disabilities, ADHD, etc.) may be disabilities, but they are not flaws. People with neurological differences are not broken or incomplete versions of normal people. Disability, no matter how profound, does not diminish personhood. People with atypical brains are fully human, with inalienable human rights, just …

What is a “Calming Corner?”

What is a “Calming Corner?”

A calming corner is a designated space in a home or classroom with the purpose of being a safe place for a child to go when they feel their emotions are running too high and they need to regain their emotional and physical control. This helps a child regain self-regulation and attention necessary for participation. …

Celebrate Giving Tuesday Season by Giving Back

Celebrate Giving Tuesday Season by Giving Back

We have all heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two intense days of shopping and deals, ironically following a day of thanks. But don’t forget the Giving Tuesday, which commenced yesterday. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Giving Tuesday is a day of heightened generosity when people give to their favorite charities. The movement …

It’s Almost Thanksgiving: How Taking Up Gratitude Practices Can Create Positive Ripples in Our Classrooms

It’s Almost Thanksgiving: How Taking Up Gratitude Practices Can Create Positive Ripples in Our Classrooms

Much research has highlighted the potential of gratitude to enhance well-being, improve relationships, and increase our ability to deal with adversity. Broadly speaking, we take gratitude to mean an act of giving back out of acknowledgement for what we have received. This need not involve direct reciprocity, though for many cultures it cannot be separated …

Understanding Social Stories

Understanding Social Stories

What is a social story? A social story is an individualized short story that is utilized to assist individuals to interpret and understand social situations that they may find challenging or confusing. Social stories can include the norms for behavior in a certain context, the perspectives of others, and specific steps for applying social skills …