October brings together several important awareness campaigns focused on how people think, learn, communicate and experience the world. Throughout the month, organizations across Canada are raising awareness around ADHD, learning disabilities, dyslexia and autism. While each campaign has its own focus, together they offer an opportunity to better understand neurodivergent kids and the different ways they learn, connect and experience the world.
The Big Jump: Supporting Your Neurodivergent Teen Through the First Year of High School
The neurodivergent teen high school transition is one of the steepest cognitive jumps a young person will ever make, and in BC it lands the week school returns in September. Grade 8 replaces a contained, familiar elementary or middle school with a sprawling building, rotating period schedules, six or seven teachers with six or seven different sets of expectations, and an abrupt demand for independence nobody explicitly taught.
Back-to-School Tips for Neurodivergent Kids: Your Top Questions Answered
Finding practical back-to-school tips for neurodivergent kids can make all the difference as late August approaches and the shift from lazy summer days to structured school mornings begins. If you are raising an ADHD, Autistic, or neurodivergent child, “back-to-school jitters” usually run a lot deeper than simple first-day nerves.
All Aboard: Ferry Accommodations and Skills for Neurodivergent Kids and Families
Finding the right ferry accommodations and sensory strategies can turn a stressful BC Ferries crossing into a manageable, confidence-building adventure for neurodivergent kids and their families. Between the engine hums, crowded decks, unpredictable boarding lines, and sudden schedule changes, a ferry crossing often requires a massive amount of processing power for ADHD and Autistic children.
Supporting Your Autistic Child’s Social Confidence This Summer
For many parents of autistic children, the end of the school year brings a familiar undercurrent of worry: will my child have friends to play with this summer? Will the unstructured days feel lonely instead of freeing? It is a real concern, and a deeply valid one.
ADHD and Emotional Regulation: Do This, Not That
The final school bell rings, the backpacks are cleared out, and parents everywhere let out a collective sigh of relief. You expect summer to be the easy part of the year. Instead, a few weeks into July, finding the sustainable emotional regulation kids with ADHD need during the break can feel like an uphill battle. Maybe it’s the intense meltdown … Read More
Why Your Neurodivergent Teen Is Facing Post School Burnout This June
The final school bell has rung, backpacks are thrown in the closet, and the high-stress routine of early mornings and late-night assignments is officially over. As a parent, you likely breathed a massive sigh of relief. You thought this would be the easy part.
What This School Year Told You, and What to Do About It
Is your child experiencing hidden school year struggles that standard school report cards simply fail to show? As June draws to a close, classrooms pack up, and final grades roll in, many parents find themselves looking at a piece of paper that doesn’t tell the whole story. You might notice your child passed their classes, but your parental gut instinct is whispering that something is still off.
What “Summer Slide” Means for Neurodivergent Kids
By August, someone will mention the summer slide. You know the drill: keep them reading, keep them sharp, don’t let them lose what they worked so hard for all year. And there is real wisdom in that. But if you parent a neurodivergent child, you may have noticed something the usual conversation tends to miss.
When School Struggles Signal Something More: Why Summer Can Be a Practical Time for Psychoeducational Assessments
The phone calls often sound the same. “My child is really bright, but school is so hard for them.” “The teacher thinks there might be a reason, but we don’t know what.” “Someone mentioned Psychoeducational Assessments but I’m not sure what that even means.”