Special Needs

The ndds Celebrates 25 Years with Rebrand: Now Called “Looksee Checklist”!

In celebration of their 25th anniversary, The Nipissing District Developmental Screening Tool (ndds) has announced a new parent-friendly name and look for their signature developmental checklist. The new Looksee Checklist—reflects the simple, approachable quality of the product to appeal to even more parents and child care professionals. The series of checklists follow a child from 1 month to 6 years of age and provides a short list of yes or no questions about the child’s abilities along with tips to help them grow. The checklists are available in a variety of languages and formats including a redesigned, user-friendly website.

Sensory Processing Fact Sheet

What is sensory processing? Children with sensory processing issues can be oversensitive to sights, sounds, textures, flavours, smells and other sensory input. Here's a one-page fact sheet that provides essential information about why some kids struggle so much with sensory input, and how we can help!

Webinar- Engaging Families of Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Strategies to Enhance Your Practice

Engaging families can be a challenge, particularly if their infant or toddler has a disability or may show signs of developmental delay. Families of children with disabilities are often deluged by service providers and advice from early intervention teams, therapists, doctors, and other professionals. Join this session to learn strategies for enhancing family engagement practices for your program as well as your staff’s confidence in building culturally responsive partnerships with families of the infants and toddlers with disabilities included in your program.

Online Training: Supporting Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

This online training is divided into eight modules on topics like: Introduction to Autism, Setting the Stage for Learning, Observing and Understanding Behaviour, Setting Goals, Developing Functional Play, Enhancing Social Skills and more... if you're working with a child with ASD, it's a great way to learn the basics and find excellent articles, tutorials and websites to further explore!

Breaking the Stigma: Can Children with Special Needs Learn a Second Language?

Some families and professionals believe that it’s too difficult for a child with special needs to learn a second language, but research shows that children with special needs can become bilingual. In a study of children with language impairment, Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorder, researchers confirmed that children’s ability to learn is based on their age, the degree of their disability, their intellectual capacity and their proficiency in their first language.

CNC in Action: Special Needs

When ‘Sarah’* joined the Toronto District School Board Rexdale CNC program, she did not engage with either the children or the toys in the room. Diagnosed with autism, Sarah needed different supports. The child care staff welcomed her with open arms and wanted to help her integrate into the program. They started off with keen observation, hard work, and a request for funding. In the end, they improved the CNC experience for not only Sarah, but the other newcomer children as well.

3 Reasons Not to Wait to Assess Preschool DLLs with Special Needs

Have you ever wondered whether you should refer a newcomer child for help with a suspected special need? Sometimes we think we should wait, but this expert disagrees!

ConnectABILITY – Special needs resources for parents and caregivers

Developed by Community Living Toronto, ConnectABILITY is a site full of helpful tips, tools and resources for parents and caregivers of children with special needs.

Children with special needs benefit from classroom inclusion

The secret to boosting the language skills of preschoolers with disabilities may be to put them in classrooms with typically developing peers, a new study finds. Read more...

Child Assessment and Diagnosis in Winnipeg

The Child Development Clinic (CDC) in Winnipeg provides assessment and referral support for preschool aged children who have a developmental, behaviour or physical disability. Find out more about what parents can do if they have a concern, and what will happen after a diagnosis here.