Category Archives: Families

WANTED: a Voice and a Friend

WANTED....a voice and a friendA mother’s story about the challenge of having a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Voiceless….to have no voice. To be unable to effectively tell others how you feel, what you want or what you are thinking…this is how my 8 year old son feels, each and every day. He’s not silent. He tries so very hard to communicate and we listen. We try to understand and respond. Often, he’s not understood. Not even by us, his loving parents who want so much to connect with him. Many times he just gives up or shrugs and says “I don’t know” when asked a question during a conversation. It’s just too hard for him. My son has Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) and his name is Ewan. Continue reading →

Dr. Jean Clinton Makes Connections While in Ottawa

On October 3rd, Andrew Fleck Child Care Services along with community partners hosted an event with Dr. Jean Clinton. Dr. Clinton is an Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University and author of many papers on early childhood development. In her inspiring presentation, Dr._Clinton explored the benefits of positive adult-child relationships, focusing on the importance of connections in a child’s education and development. Along with the growing research on the benefits of play-based learning and mindfulness, Dr. Clinton presented the benefits of an educator’s emotional connection with each child.

Dr. Clinton discussed the role of relationships in child development starting from birth. The first relationships which are typically between a mother and her baby create the internal representation of how children expect others to treat them. The level of attachment will affect a child’s relationships, academics, self-regulation and resilience. Experiences, connections and stressors change how babies and children respond to the world. Dr. Clinton emphasized that it is our responsibility as a community to support the positive attachments of mothers and babies. This relationship will virtually affect all other aspects of their development. Continue reading →

Journey of an Active Young Man

Hard to believe Denis recently turned 19 years old. He’s a very happy young man regardless of his challenges such as being non-verbal, and yet he has no problem communicating his wants and needs.

It all started many, many moons ago when Denis was a baby. We knew there were issues but when he finally had his CT Scan at the age of one, they discovered hydrocephalus (an accumulation of fluid within the cranium) and he had a shunt installed within weeks. At 3 years of age, he was diagnosed with Autism and started school on a full-time basis at 3 and a half. That’s when we crossed paths with Children’s Integration Support Services and were matched with an amazing Resource Consultant, Sylvie Giroux, to whom we still send Christmas cards. We were blessed to have her in our lives at that time. Continue reading →

Fostering Connectedness in your Centre

The Children’s Village at Bridlewood is one of four licensed school age programs operated by the long standing and respected Children’s Village of Ottawa-Carleton. I am the program supervisor and I get to experience the best of both worlds by splitting my time in both the office and on the floor as a team teacher. Our agency takes pride in its programs, the fostering of connectedness between staff, parents, colleagues and most importantly the children. We also value the overall impact of connectedness on learning and behaviour.

A colleague of mine recently brought to my attention a discussion she had with one of our children, a seven year old boy. He had counted the hours he was at school in a day and compared it to how many hours he spent at home with his family. “Miss, did you know I’m at school for ten hours? That is more time than I am with my family and more time than I am asleep”. Educators and operators of before and after-school programs know this realization all too well. For me, working under the motto “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” means we aren’t just educators, we are a family away from home to these children.

The Children’s Village at Bridlewood 2014-2015

The Children’s Village at Bridlewood 2014-2015

Continue reading →

It All Starts with Strong Relationships

Scenario 1 – Steven arrives with his grandfather and they are warmly greeted by an Educator. Steven joins the children playing Octopus. He often needs help remembering to follow the rules and routines and has a really hard time being “out”. When he gets “out”, he becomes really upset. When this happens, the Educator calls him over and gives him a strong hug to activate his listening ability. Without the hug, he cannot hear what is being said to him. His feelings are acknowledged by saying, ” You didn’t want to be out. It’s hard to be out. A new game will start soon. Do you want to wait here or with the other children who are out?” Steven moves to join the other children. A simple hug and an acknowledgement of his feelings really helps him turn things around. Continue reading →

Where Are They Now – Following Your Heart’s Desires

Pic-Ben1When Benjamin was born he looked just like his older sister, Emily, as far as we and our doctor were concerned. The nurses in the nursery, however thought he looked like he had Down Syndrome and so genetic testing was done. When we received the call that the testing was positive for Trisomy 21 we were in shock and asked for him to be retested. As soon as the results from the second test confirmed the diagnosis, I called the Down Syndrome Society of Ottawa Carleton and the Infant Development Centre. This was where Heather Jones, an Infant Development Worker, came into our lives and was a godsend.

Heather told us to look at Ben as our child not as “Down Syndrome”. She told us he would be able to do anything anyone else could; he just may have to be taught the steps instead of coming by them naturally. At that time there were family support groups and play groups we attended. Communicating with other parents and interacting with them and their children normalized everything. Ben had many people in his life to help him and who supported us. He was lucky to have benefited from occupational, speech and vocational therapy as well as sign language. Continue reading →

Behaviour Guidance Tip – The “You” Statement

Did you know that by using a “You” statement it:
Validates the child’s needs, wants, and feelings by focusing instantly on them.

A child is crying during drop off time, the educator approaches the child and validates her feelings by saying; “You are sad. You miss your mom”. Most often the child will seek comfort and regain control over their emotions because the child feels understood.

Did you know that by using a “You” statement it:
Can help a child deal with not having immediate access to a preferred item. Continue reading →

Preparing for Separation Anxiety

September is a very busy time of year especially for educators and providers as they prepare to receive many children. Some will be returning but many will be new. This means many children along with their parents/guardians will experience Separation Anxiety. Here are some considerations to help with this short lived anxiety.

Create a small booklet with pictures of your centre or home child care setting that you can give to parents/guardians so they can read it with their children.
Post and use a visual schedule not only in each classroom or playroom in a provider’s home but also next to the schedule posted for parents/guardians. Continue reading →

Family is Family: Everyone has the Right to Travel the World with Pride

Is travelling with children with special needs really that different? Not really. When we travel with our six children, five of whom have special needs, we are more careful in the planning and execution of our vacations. Because we require two hotel rooms, we always contact the hotel directly and request connecting rooms. This ensures that there is only one access to the hallway from our room because one of our children sleepwalks. The second room door remains bolted at all times. We also ensure that we have a small refrigerator in the room for quick snacks and/or beverages.

Our children’s diagnoses vary, from ADHD to global delays to Autism, each requiring special considerations such as being more sensitive to their environment. Although the thunder during the luau at SeaWorld startled our middle daughter, she was still thrilled to be on stage doing her version of the hula. If children are afraid of loud or sudden noises, take into consideration experiences that could frighten them such as the Indiana Jones attraction at Disney World. Our choices of attractions tend to be on the “mild” side on purpose. Our more daring children “buddy up” to experience the more exciting rides. This ensures everyone can fully enjoy their vacation. Continue reading →

A Big Step: Our Family’s Transition to School (Part 2)

Read Part 1

Following an enjoyable summer, a week before school started, we met with our son’s school team; kindergarten teacher, Resource Teacher and Educational Assistant. Everything was in place: a designated change room, as he was not yet potty trained, a room for his physiotherapy, occupational therapy and time away from the classroom. We were really impressed how much was done to make sure that our son was integrated into a regular school and classroom.

Once school starts, it is important to start thinking about your child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). The IEP is specific to your child’s goals that he or she is expected to achieve during the school year. It is a working document and can be changed or updated at any time. It is up to the parents to decide what information will be included in the IEP, if you don’t agree with it, don’t sign it. As parents we know best whether the goals listed are attainable by our child. Continue reading →