by Halton Administrator | Nov 27, 2015 | Blog
Listen What Boys Need A Newsletter from Michael Reist www.michaelreist.ca Newsletter #4: Too Many Kids are Suffering at School Where are empathy and compassion in our schools? This recent e-mail is typical of the hundreds I get from distraught mothers. “Today was not a good day and the reason for my email. We were called to the school where he had overturned pretty much everything. It was like we were looking at someone else’s child. And he kept repeating he was a “bad boy.” It was heartbreaking. I was not aware that his teacher is not able to remove him from the room. Instead they are trained to remove the entire class…We are really struggling to find the right course of action for him. The school is going to have a speech pathologist come in to see if he is struggling with language and speech. We have made appointments to have his hearing & sight tested just to rule it out. My gut tells me there is a disconnect with his classroom teacher and maybe a combination of him struggling with worksheets and more structure. I really don’t know, all we know is this is not the boy we see at home.” The only thing missing from this e-mail is the recommendation that he be put on medication. I’m sure that suggestion will be made eventually. The solution is always a technical one – professional specialists or medication. It is never a human one. This five-year-old boy needs empathy and compassion. He needs to be held. No one is listening to the mother’s “gut.” Are teachers to blame for this...
by Halton Administrator | Sep 22, 2015 | Blog
Listen Registration is now open for the 59th Annual Ontario CEC Special Education Conference, being held November 13 – 14, 2015 at the Marriott Gateway in Niagara Falls! Want to save on the registration rate? Just register as a delegate by October 1st for the early bird rate of $295.00!! Click here to open the conference brochure: 2015 Ontario CEC Conference...
by Halton Administrator | Aug 28, 2015 | Blog, Publications & Research
Listen What Boys Need- Back to School A Newsletter by Michael Reist- www.michaelreist.ca Let’s not forget what we learned this summer. We learned who our boys are without school. If we were lucky, we saw our boys as they are in nature. We saw our boys as they are with unstructured play. They may have complained about boredom at times, but we had the chance to see them as relaxed kids who were free and natural and happy. We have to remember that this is who our boys really are. The great educational theorist, John Holt, said, “In school, we do not see children as they are. We see them as school reveals them to us.” This past summer we got to see who our boys really are. They love to move, they love to have fun, they love to laugh, and they love to have the freedom to be themselves with all their spontaneous, wonderful energy! Now it’s time to go back into “the system.” Let’s remember that it is a system; it is not a natural environment. Some kids manage OK in school; some actually like it, but for many – especially boys – school is not a pleasant place. A.S. Neill asked the fundamental question, “Do we make the child fit the school or do we make the school fit the child?” In our school system today, the child is expected to fit the school. “Sit still, be quiet, and do what you’re told.” We must work to make the school fit the child. Eventually our schools will become more boy-friendly. Parents will become more active...
by Halton Administrator | Feb 19, 2015 | Blog
Listen ADHD adult peer support group of Halton is composed of persons 19 years of age or older that have been formally diagnosed with ADHD by a certified mental health professional and/or is in the process of being accessed for ADHD. The purpose of this peer support group is for members to share ideas, ask questions and share common experiences in a supportive and respectful environment. The meetings are run by peers who are not healthcare professionals. For more information call: Anthony 905-844-9086 Manuela...
by Halton Administrator | Jun 12, 2014 | Blog
Listen NOT TO BE MISSED! WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN- Behaviour Management Strategies for the child with LD- Rick Lavoie Richard Lavoie is speaking in Ottawa on Oct. 25. He will present dozens of field-tested behavior management techniques for use at home and in the classroom. These strategies are designed specifically for use with students with language and attentional deficits. Click here for more details and to...
by Halton Administrator | Nov 23, 2013 | Blog
Listen Association of Ontario (LDAO) Policy Statement on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (as defined by DSM-IV-TR) WHEREAS: The LDAO definition of , 2001 states: “’’ refers to a variety of disorders that affect the acquisition, retention, understanding, organization or use of verbal and/or non-verbal information. These disorders result from impairments in one or more psychological processes related to learning, in combination with otherwise average abilities essential for thinking and reasoning”, where psychological processes are defined to include: memory and attention executive functions The LDAO definition further states: “Frequently learning disabilities co-exist with other conditions, including attentional, behavioural and emotional disorders”. THEREFORE the Association of Ontario accepts that the provision of services to people with ADHD strengthens and adds value to the support that LDAO and its local chapters provide to people with LD; endorses the provision of services to individuals with ADHD as part of the overall program of services provided by its provincial office and local chapters advocates for the provision of services to individuals with ADHD as part of the overall program of services provided by ministries, school boards and other agencies. For further information and to review other provincial policy statements see...