Your child’s language: tips and strategies to support its development! As parents, it isn’t always easy to be sure whether our children are meeting the expected language milestones.  It can be even harder to know what to do if we do notice signs of a language delay.  If you’ve ever felt this way, the following…

Some children have difficulty getting started on tasks and organizing materials, whether it’s their bedrooms, lockers or homework papers. These skills are referred to as executive functioning skills and include skills related to organization, time management; planning, impulse control, cognitive flexibility, and ability to self-monitor one’s work. Our occupational therapist Keltie Morrison shares tips to…

Speech strategies to support communication and language development in children with ASD Every child on the autism spectrum is unique and special, so strategies that work for each child will depend on that child and what is motivating to them. Here are ten great speech language pathology strategies that will encourage language development in children…

The Importance of Posture and Positioning for Handwriting  by Ashley Cooper The other evening, I was at restaurant having dinner. I should have been enjoying the five course meal that was being prepared by the chef but instead I just could not get comfortable in my chair. The stool was too high from the floor…

Teachers are required to not only teach and report on academic achievement – they are also required to do the same regarding your child’s social and emotional intelligence. Teachers assess, evaluate and report on achievement of curriculum expectations and on the demonstration of learning skills and work habits. In order to do this, they also must teach…

It’s report card time, the perfect time for reflection and for planning. At this time in the year, parents should be able to look back and list things that were learned in each subject, as well as areas that could use some improvement or enrichment. In fact, your children should be the ones to tell…

5 suggestions to increase academic motivation Teenagers are tempted by many pleasures, immediate and ephemeral. They live in the present, and their future is far for them! In their quest for autonomy, they need to feel that they control their life, that their parents no longer have so much power over them. The lack of…

Understanding and overcoming the underlying challenges School is hard. Being an independent, successful student in a classroom is a tall order for most children. Different challenges arise at each grade level as expectations and difficulty increase. Cognitive skills such as organization, time management and attention influence success. Reading ability, vocabulary, and understanding of language all…

No matter what age your child is there are things you can do as a parent to help them learn to read and write. Here are some tips to start using today! Birth to toddler years Talk to your baby and bombard them with words – the more words you expose your child to the…

Through these winter months it is very tempting to stay indoors curled up on the couch with some hot cocoa. Despite the below zero temperatures, it is still important for kids to spend time outside in the fresh crisp winter air. There are many outdoor activities that are unique to this wonderful season, so get…

‘Tis the season to give thanks, so thank you for your confidence in Children’s Support Solutions! It has been our pleasure to work with your family and to be a part of your child’s development. The things you say and do, at home in your daily lives—such as when you talk about the activities they do…

by Laura Goldenberg If you are a parent you might have spent the last few weeks, or even months, chasing down all the trends for this year’s latest and greatest children’s toys.  Visit any parenting page or group on Facebook at this moment and you will find desperate parents bidding their life savings to get…

by Laura Dutfield Our daily routines are filled with various transitions as we move from task to task or location to location. For children on the autism spectrum, these transitions can often produce anxiety and be accompanied by challenging behaviours. Luckily, there are a number of helpful tools to increase predictability and create structure in daily…

by  Houda Nasreddine Literacy acquisition can be quite the challenge given the multitude of skills a child must first develop in order to learn how to read. The average child needs to first acquire phonological awareness, that is, learn the sounds that make up language. They need to be able to play with sound structures…

This free webinar is hosted by Dr. Samuel Siah, a clinical psychologist at Children’s Support Solutions who specializes in assessing, diagnosing and treating a variety of mental health and learning difficulties in children and youth. It will give a brief overview of social anxiety, including common signs and symptoms, different diagnoses, a common therapeutic approach…

Family mealtimes provide a wonderful opportunity to spend time with your children. Sharing meals together is one of the earliest social experiences your child will encounter and this can help to shape their participation in family and social routines as they grow. But what do you do when your child won’t eat? Having a ‘picky…

When school’s out, we’re in for an action filled day of activities. Children will explore the world of crafts, games, and special activities while developing new friendships. Our Winter Camp Program at Children’s Support Solutions is designed to foster social skills and enable our campers to form long lasting friendships. We work on specific group…

by Ashley Cooper & Ashley Rego According to the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada, 1 in 10 Canadians have a learning disability. A learning disability can be described as a gap between the level of achievement that is expected and what is actually achieved. Contrary to popular belief, learning disabilities can affect people with average…

Advocating for your child at school In a follow-up to our “Tips from a Principal” webinar, educator and principal Nancy Lerner shares her experience when it comes to advocating for your child at school. As parents, we never stop advocating for our children, no matter what their age. Advocacy in schools is very helpful as…

Parent-teacher interviews are a great way to find out how your child is doing in school and to show your interest in your child’s learning and classroom experiences. A 10-15 minute parent-teacher interview can give you insight as to how your child is doing, where your child needs to improve and how you can help.…