Online Q&A: Holiday homework help

Do you look forward to the holiday season and a break from homework battles or do you anxiously look ahead fearing that the two-week holiday will cause your children to lose ground? Teachers and educators Lynn Morrison and Janice Harper were this week's experts for The Star's online education forum.

Morrison and Harper have more than 60 years of combined teaching experience, and are sought-after speakers at educational conferences. They recently co-authored a book, "Homework is for Kids, Not Parents: Practical Advice for Parents and Stimulating Activities for Kids."

Q: My son just turned 10 and is in Grade 5. He had a phonological and oral motor disorder. He spent seven years in speech therapy and has since been discharged. He has struggles with reading and writing since preschool. He is an intelligent boy who is very outgoing and excels at computers but can’t seem to get organized, has problems following instructions written or verbal, is VERY easily distracted, still has trouble tying his shoelaces, has a very unstable pencil grip, sloppy penmanship and difficulty with math. I requested an interview with his teacher and asked that he be assessed. He agreed and the more I pointed things out to him, the more he began to see a pattern.

My question is how do I push to have this done and not have him lost in paperwork? I know the waiting lists, seven years of speech taught me that, but I am so worried about his self-confidence. He feels “stupid” because he doesn’t get things and is always comparing himself to the other kids. I have another interview tonight to discuss his report card and I am hoping that there will have been some progress made with regards to getting him assessed. I just need to know how to stay on them (the school and board) and what the steps are. Thanks you for your time.

A: Your son is fortunate that you are his mother. You realize the importance of being your child’s advocate. I would suggest that you inform the teacher that you are also going to be speaking to the principal about your child. You can explain to the teacher that you are aware of the waiting-lists issue because you have been through it before, and you will be speaking to the principal to support the teacher with respect to services for your child, not to undermine him.

If you feel that you are not getting support from the principal, you may have to contact the superintendent in charge of your area of schools.

A few short term ideas, while you are waiting for an assessment are:

a) Having the school give your child a laptop computer for his classroom work. Since he excels at computers, this will give him confidence, and solve the poor pencil-grip issue and sloppy penmanship issue.

b) If a laptop is not in the cards, then try out various types of writing materials. Very often children with poor penmanship find success using felt-tipped markers because they don’t skitter across the page.

c) To help with the distractibility issue perhaps the teacher could move your child’s desk to an area of the classroom where he is unable to see anything but his desk and blank walls. He may want to put a cardboard enclosure around his desk to keep our external stimulae.

d) Ask the teacher to give your child one or two instructions at a time, and have your child repeat them back to be sure he understands what to do. When he has completed the two instructions, he can go back to the teacher for the next two. Alternatively, ask the teacher to write the instructions on the board.

We hope that these ideas help for the short term until you can get an assessment for your child.

Q: My daughter is 7, and an extremely bright, very talkative child. She has many ideas, and if her tall tales give a hint, she has quite an imagination. However, she does not do a good job of putting her thoughts down on paper. Her teacher constantly requests that she add more detail to her stories. Do you have a suggestion or a website that we could use to help her practice story telling (on paper) over Christmas? Thanks.

A: It sounds as if your daughter’s stories have lots of details when she is telling them. Here is a simple suggestion - have her “talk” her story into a tape recorder or voice activated computer. Then she can play back what she has said and write it down at her own pace. Her difficulty may lie in her fine muscle skills. Likely her brain works a lot faster that her fingers. She thinks up great ideas, but becomes fatigued in trying to keep up with her thoughts.

Also, a simple story plan may help. Before she writes, she could draw her story, or make jot notes about the setting, characters and plot. Then when she is writing, she has the plan in front of her to remind her if her ideas.

Another idea to try is retelling stories. Read a picture book to her and have her retell the story to you in her own words. If she skips details, point out to her how they make the story more interesting. She may need help at retelling at first, but with time will develop her skills. You should find that there is a transference from the retelling to her own story writing.

Q: My granddaughter (9) will be visiting me over the Christmas holidays for a week. I love to cook and I am also a quilter, but we cannot do that for the whole week. She does not like going out in the car. I plan on doing some of the above but what else should I do with her? Thank you.

A: How lucky for your granddaughter that you have such talents. I am sure that she loves to bake with you (what child doesn’t love the eating that follows?). The many benefits of cooking together are described in previous questions. Board and card games are always fun. See ideas in the questions about educational games. What wonderful memories you are creating with her. Here are a few ideas that she may enjoy doing:

* Origami Cards: Get an origami book out of the library and make cards for family and friends. Origami provides excellent practice in following directions and perseverance. After the cards are made, she could write notes to her friends at home and mail them off.

* Number Puzzles: The Toronto Star publishes a Sudoku puzzle every day. They are challenging and help to develop skills in logic, problem solving and strategizing. For an extra challenge, try out the Kakuro puzzle that is in the Sunday Star. Kakuro is Sudoku with a little bit of algebra added in. (It took me an hour to do the first one!!!) Enjoy this special time with your granddaughter.

* Logo Designs: A logo is a symbol that is designed so that it can be easily and definitely recognized. We can think of lots of logos representing hamburger restaurants! One example of a very popular logo is the intertwining symbols of the Olympic flag. The 5 circles represent the 5 continents. Create logos for yourself, friends, pets, family members or a famous celebrity. Be sure to make the logo represent an interest, hobby or something unique about the person or animal.

Follow these rules when you are making your logo: a) it should be symmetrical; b) no more than three colours should be used; c) it must be easily recognizable as having meaning for a certain person.

* Study French: Have your granddaughter phone Dial-a-Story at the Toronto Public Library every day (416-395-5400) and listen to a story in French. It is recommended that she choose the stories meant for younger children until she is sure that she can understand what is being read.

Q: My daughter is in Grade 3 and I would like to teach her after school. I would like some useful textbooks. Can you suggest some for me? Science books are very hard to find in the bookstore. Can you help please?

A: Most school boards recommend that children in Grade 3 spend 30 minutes on homework, five nights of the week. If your daughter does not have assigned homework from school, then you may want to talk to the teacher about what she could be doing at home. Reading is always our first choice because not only are children developing their reading skills, but they are also learning about the world.

Be careful about trying to teach your daughter. Sometimes we end up confusing our children when we try to take on the teacher role because we may be explaining concepts in a different way, or entering into concepts for which they are not yet ready.

Ask your child’s teacher for some science book recommendations. You will probably find them at the public library. Take your daughter with you to the library and encourage her to choose books that are of interest to her. We all learn best when we are involved in the decision-making process.

Q: I have three children, they are 6, 4 and 18 months. Is there an activity I could do with all three, that would engage all three of them? I have another question: During the school year, the eldest has a bit of homework but the 4-year-old none. What can I do with the other two while helping the oldest? Is there a way to make it a "family affair?"

A: Ideally, younger siblings can enjoy a craft or a video in another area of your home in order to avoid disturbing older brothers and sisters doing homework. However, we realize that this is not always possible due to the ages of the children. To make it a “ family affair,” the 4-year-old could look at a familiar picture book with the youngest child and retell the story, or the 2 younger children could be drawing at the other end of the table. Most board guidelines state that children should have homework in increments of 10 minutes per grade so your younger children should not have to be entertained in this manner for more than 20 minutes.

Our responses to previous questions have discussed the value of reading together. Here are a few other reading ideas.

* Have your children collect some favourite books and put them into a basket. Add a flashlight and a snack to the basket. Put some pillows under the kitchen table and drape a blanket over the top. Now the children have a fort. They can crawl into this fort and the older child can read to the younger, or they can all look at books together. The novelty of reading by flashlight is unparalleled. (We remember with fondness, reading by flashlight underneath the covers long after bedtime!)

* Make a magic wand by covering a ruler with sparkly paper. Glue a star on the top.  Your older children can make these themselves.  Now send them off on a word hunt around the house. They can point to words that they know and read them aloud to each other. The older child can be the note taker, and write down all of the words that they find. The kitchen and the laundry room are great places to find familiar words.

* The Toronto Public Library has a service called “ Dial-a-Story.” There is a new story every day and they are read in seven different languages. The stories are for children 7 and under, and for ages 8 to 12. Just dial 416-395-5400 and follow the instructions.

* Let the children decorate large pieces of paper that you can use at the table as placemats when you have guests. Perhaps the older children could incorporate holiday patterns into their decorations. They will be a big hit with your guests and a source of pride for your children.

Q: Is there any way to play "educational" games with kids, so that they don't know they are learning things? Do you have any to suggest?

A: Games teach children to reason, search for solutions, remember, order and classify information, make decisions and to plan ahead. They can also provide practice in specific areas such as vocabulary development, spelling skills and facility with numbers.

Playing games also helps to instill social skills such as sharing, taking turns and learning to lose. So the very fact that you are playing games with your children is educational, and they won’t realize that they are learning these skills.

However, most games have a specific underlying “educational” component. The old favourites such as Monopoly and Cribbage reinforce basic mathematical skills, and Scrabble and Boggle focus on spelling. Labyrinth is an excellent way to work on spatial skills while study after study has shown that playing chess helps to develop memory and problem-solving skills as well as reading and verbal aptitudes. There are many games for younger children to develop memory skills such as I Spy or simple concentration card games for any age. Don’t neglect co-operative games such as the mystery and logic game The Secret Door in which everyone works together for a common goal. Even simple card games such as Snap reinforce important skills such as matching and number recognition.

Pick up a book of card games from the children’s section of your public library. Encourage your child choose a game from the book, read the rules and teach it to the rest of the family. This is an especially good activity for a reluctant reader since these books are usually written in a simple, easy to understand fashion. When your child teaches the game, he or she will be practicing speaking with precision and clarity.

We cannot stress enough the value for children of all ages, of building with open-ended construction toys such as Lego. Constructing with this toy helps to develop spatial skills as children figure out which piece fits where. Girls sometimes need an extra incentive to engage in this activity and unfortunately, it is often girls who find the spatial aspect of math increasingly difficult because they have not developed their spatial sense.

Instead of purchasing a game, why not have your children make their own games? Using the inside of a file folder, the child can draw a path made up of squares with instructions in some such as “Go Back 2 Spaces,” “Pick up a Questions Card” or “Miss One Turn.” Then they can make cards with questions based on any subject that they are studying (the times tables, social studies or science facts etc.) On the back of the card, write the answer to the question. To play the game, the players take turns rolling the dice and moving through the squares. When a player reaches a square with a question, it must be answered correctly or a turn is missed. The game can become new again simply by making new question cards.

So, enjoy the holiday season playing games with your children confident in how much they are learning. Also, don’t underestimate the bonding that is occurring as you have fun together.

Q: I'm going to be home with my two children, in Grades 1 & 3, for three weeks. Most of my family does not live here. What can I do with them to keep them entertained?

A: Reading aloud to your children, especially youngsters in the primary grades, has a significant impact on their attitude and success in reading and helps to augment the bond between parent and child. The book, “Reading Magic: Why reading aloud to our children will change their lives forever” by Mem Fox clearly and simply explains ways for a parent to develop this skill. You have the opportunity to read one-on-one or two-on-one – unlike the teacher who must read aloud to large groups.

Take the children to the library and help them to discover the endless variety of picture book titles available to this age group. Ask your teacher-librarian or the public librarian for some great new titles. The older sibling can also share a book with the younger child, maybe one received at Christmastime. Books that contain a repetitive phrase or sentence can allow both children to take a turn to read. The youngest can read the language pattern and the oldest can read the rest of the print. If your children have grandparents out of town, they may enjoy phoning to read to them or recording a read aloud on tape or CD and sending it to them.

Children’s bookstores like Mable’s Fables and The Flying Dragon also carry terrific collections. We have some extraordinary Canadian children’s authors.

Take time out from the hustle and bustle to read as a family. While you read that book you just haven’t had time to open, the children can curl up with the pile of books they brought home from the library.

“Pretend reading” by your Grade 1 child is quite acceptable. During this time many reading strategies are being developed including how to gain information from a picture, the direction of print and sequential reasoning. Snuggling up with your children either to read to them or with them engages everyone in the family in a very rewarding experience.

Writing during the holidays can take different forms. If you take photographs during the holidays, the children can choose their favourite ones to create a small book. Your oldest child can write captions independently. The youngest one could dictate ideas, but better still, write ideas sounding out the words. Although words may be misspelled, drawing on current understanding and knowledge of phonics to write, will help improve their spelling and writing skills faster. If they become anxious about the spelling, tell them to underline three words. When they are finished, if they ask, you can tell them how to spell those three words. For there is no better way to teach writing than to write and no better way to teach reading than to read! As a further bonus, reading improves writing and writing improves reading. At school, students enthusiastically read stories written and published by classmates. Again, why not send a copy of the book that recounts the holidays to a friend or relative!

Sorting and classifying is an important mathematical concept. If they receive new toys during the holidays, they can estimate the amount of space that the new toys will require and decide which ones to donate to those less fortunate, or throw away.

Young children can also begin to learn about community service. Sorting cans at the Food Bank is a possibility. Mathematics is based on number patterns. Create geometric shapes out of cardboard, unused cushion soles or discarded mouse pads. Glue the shapes to old film canisters. Supply a limited number of paint colours in foil plates. The children can dip the shapes in the paint and create patterns on paper bags or shelf paper. These wonderful pieces of art can supplement your wrapping paper supply!

Cooking simple meals or desserts together teaches children about many things including measurement, sequencing, co-operation and patience. There are great new cookbooks for young children that use photographs and large print to instruct the children step by step. Take a trip to such places as the museum, the art gallery, the Science Centre, heritage homes decorated for the holiday season, live theatre, children’s bookstores or your local library. Many of these places have special programs for the children during the holidays.

Broadening your children’s experiences builds their knowledge base and helps them to make connections more easily to new things they are taught at school. Our book Homework Is For Kids, Not Parents: Practical Advice and Stimulating Activities For Kids has many, many more suitable ideas that are helpful to parents.

Q: Since the introduction of the Harris curriculum it appears that parents are required to teach their kids the balance of the subject matter that the teacher doesn't have time to teach. In every conversation with any parent they complain about the quantity of homework. The rule is 10 minutes per grade. Whose 10 minutes is this anyway? Is the 10 minutes based on the time it would take a child to perform the same task in the morning or 10 minutes after a full day of school? Dropout rates are now 30 per cent. Childhood obesity is a concern. I read that the schools should allow for 20 minutes of exercise per day. If there wasn't so much homework maybe kids could play!

A: We understand your concerns and have heard similar viewpoints from other parents. On the other hand, some parents believe their children do not receive enough homework. It is true that the existing Ontario curriculum does contain extensive content. Once the curriculum reassessment is complete, it is hoped that the expectations will become more manageable and the dropout rate in high school will once again continue to decrease. However, at no time should the parent be expected to take on the teacher’s role. Parents are not trained in the methodology or the terminology and may cause confusion for the child. Many of us have waged war with our children all in the name of helping. The impact of your words cannot be underestimated. They are extremely powerful. Instead, your role during homework time is to design an environment that is conducive to learning and to help with homework only occasionally. More importantly, your relationship with your child can be seriously damaged if you take on the teacher’s role.

Many boards in Ontario and across North America do recommend as you say, 10 minutes per grade. You also bring forth another important point. Establishing a daily fixed study time is a key factor in completing homework. It is essential that children not be over-programmed. Kids of all ages need time for unstructured play that includes physical activity. Like us, they need time to unwind. Play is also an essential part of every child’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. We must never underestimate its value!

Choose a homework time that takes into consideration other activities, a time for snack or dinner and that everyone’s energy level diminishes as evening advances. When the school’s homework policy states 10 minutes, that is exactly what it means. There may be many reasons why it takes longer to complete. Procrastination, unclear directions, undetected learning difficulties or inappropriate assignments are some of the causes. As you mentioned, speaking to parents of children in the same class to find out if time and volume are common problems can help a parent to know how to deal with this concern. If it is a shared complaint, then it is important for a very small delegation of parents to meet with the teacher. The teacher may be unaware of the problem or how widespread it is. It is important to work co-operatively and respectively. Everyone is on the same team and wants what is best for the students. However, if you are unable to come to a satisfactory resolution, invite the principal to the next meeting. Document the horror stories to help others understand the reason for the anxiety. If it is not a common complaint, contact the teacher. Share your comments and listen to the teacher’s observations. Together implement a plan to deal with the situation. If you believe your child is simply procrastinating, send your child back to school with the work unfinished.

Children learn best from natural consequences. You can also attach a note to the incomplete work or make an early morning phone call, if you think a good effort was made but the task needed more time. Forcing children to remain at their desk into the wee hours of the night till homework is done is beneficial to no one. Parents are their children’s advocate.

Q: My son is in high school and I don't ever recall him doing homework over the holidays. Is this right?

A: Relax, literally. Your son will be delighted to hear that a good night’s sleep is important. Studies indicate that the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep has a direct effect on teen performance. REM occurs after 90 minutes of uninterrupted sleep. The teen who has the most REM sleep is more likely to remember what is taught. So if your son decides to catch up on sleep over the holidays, let him! 95 per cent of a person’s brain is developed by the age of 5. The last 5 per cent is not complete till teens are their 20s and is critical to their intelligence and reasoning skills. The workload in high school can be very intense. Time during the holidays to unwind and rejuvenate is essential to a person’s mental health. If your son is having difficulty at school, a meeting with the teachers to discuss why is in order. Is he attending class, does he have difficulty focusing or does he require some type of remediation, perhaps through extra help at school or working with a tutor. If your son is achieving satisfactory success at school, then the holiday is well deserved.

*Note from Morrison and Harper ... Soon the holidays, cheer and festivities will replace homework, class assignments, report cards and projects. Although many students look with excitement to the next two weeks without projects or deadlines, some parents may be concerned about the interruption in their children’s learning and its impact upon their return to the classroom.
As parents you can reinforce learning during the holidays without standard homework practices. You might seize this as an opportunity to demonstrate to your children that what they are learning in school has real value in their everyday lives. You do not have to take away from the holiday season. Instead you might use this experience to enhance their education!

Online Q&A: Special Education, Part 2

Special education was today's topic with experts Christopher Carew of the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO) and Margaret Spoelstra of Autism Society Ontario (ASO). We're no longer taking questions but will take your comments for the next 24 hours.

Please join us for the next forum on homework help for the holidays. We'll take your questions starting Friday.

If you have any ideas for future forum topics or experts, please contact education editor Kristin Rushowy at krushowy@thestar.ca.

Q: A few questions for you ... (1) For a student in Grade 7, do they get taught from a modified Grade 7 curriculum or do they get taught at a lower grade? (If yes to lower grade, what grade? If no, what percentage should the curruculum be modified?)

(2) Will they be able to attend high school or do they have to go to vocational school? (If yes to high school, is there a program in high school to help them and the name of the program?)

Thank you very much and I am looking forward to your answers.

The LDAO responds ... Modifications refer to the changes made to the grade level expectations for a subject or course in order to meet the needs of the student. For the core subjects, such as math and language, the expectations may be taken from a different grade level. For content subjects, such as social studies or history, the modifications may include significant changes to the number and/or complexity of learning expectations in the regular grade level curriculum. An individual student in Grade 7 may be working toward different grade level expectations for different subjects. The IEP will indicate which subjects are modified, and what the expectations are for each subject.

Most students with learning disabilities can work on grade level expectations, as long as they have appropriate accommodations (e.g. extra time or use of technology).

If a student in the intermediate grades is working at a modified curriculum level on most of their subject areas, their options for high school may be somewhat limited. There are “locally developed courses” that count as credits, and workplace preparation courses, in addition to applied and academic courses. Sometimes all types of courses are offered in one high school, or there may be schools with only applied and workplace preparation courses. It is often useful to have an updated assessment before high school to help decide what levels of courses are realistic for the student to take. Placement recommendations may be made by the school counsellor, principal or the Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) at the school board.

Specific to your questions: (1) Any modifications to a Grade 7 student’s program will depend on their special needs. These will be reflected in the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) which is created by the teacher and shared with any other teachers (i.e. resource) that are working with the student and the parent. Some IEPs outline how the child will be supported to achieve grade level expectations (i.e. through the use of assistive technology, additional time to complete work etc.) others may reflect different educational goals. This depends on the child’s identification.

(2) Determinations about the types of schools a child may attend will once again be based on their strengths and needs. For example, some students will attend high school and participate in regular classes with an IEP, others may attend vocational school. This depends on the student as well as the options available in their area. A transition plan should be created at the middle school level. You may wish to refer to a document on our website titled “Transition Planning Resource Guide for Students with Learning Disabilities.”

Q: My 8-year-old, in Grade 3, has difficulty learning simple math concepts and then retaining what she has learned. We've had her assessed by a learning program (Scholars) and over the course of five months being tutored twice a week in math, her mark actually went down. We also spend a significant amount of one-on-one time working with her and are at the point where we think there may be a slight developmental or learning disability issue here. How do I go about obtaining a psychological assessment for my child?

The LDAO responds ... There are two options for obtaining a psychological assessment. The first is to do this through your child’s school board. The school must obtain your written consent before doing a psychological assessment. This requires the local school team meeting and discussing your child’s case. They will then make a decision on whether to recommend the child for an assessment by a board psychologist. If they do recommend this, your child would then be placed on a waiting list for assessment. Waiting times vary throughout the province, sometimes up to two years.

The second option is to obtain an assessment yourself through a psychologist or psychological associate in a private practice. If you have a group medical plan through an employer, you can check to see if private assessment by a psychologist is covered and to what maximum fee. You would need a referral from a medical doctor to get coverage under the group plan, but you can call and make the appointment directly. You can then provide the assessment to the school board to inform decisions regarding identification and placement. One of the local chapters of the Learning Disabilities Association (www.ldao.ca, select Chapters) should be able to give you names of local psychologists or psychological associates, as well as providing information on how to access assessments through your school board.

Q: I would like to know what options my child has after high school. She had trouble dealing with money and can't get any employment in the small town that we live in. Are there post-secondary education opportunities that she could possibly pursue and where are they?

The LDAO responds ... Transition planning for after high school should begin before your child finishes her secondary education. You may wish to refer to a document on our LDAO website titled “Transition Planning Resource Guide for Students with Learning Disabilities” located under ‘About Learning Disabilities, Special Education/Information for Parents’. There are a number of other articles that may be of interest as well on our website.

After high school, you may wish to connect with a local social service agency in your community that focuses on job assessments and placements. If your son or daughter has a disability, you could consider Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) employment supports. If there is a community college in your area, it would have a range of programs that you could look in to.

Q: Dyslexia is a well-known and documented reading disablility. Research has supported neurological evidence that the condition exists. There are known teaching methods which substantially help and teach these children how to read, i.e. phonics taught in a systematic approach and multi-sensory learning. These approaches not only benefit dyslexics but other children struggling with literacy. Tests for assessing dyslexia exists, early indicators can catch children at risk even before being formatlly identified. Why do none of the school boards recognize dyslexia? Why is it blanketed as a "communication disability"? More important, why is there no proper, formal program in place that will actually teach these children how to read? The Early Recovery program sounds great in theory; in practice, it falls short because it is left too open to interpretation by individual school boards and school principals and teachers. A clear, guided, systematic approach would be more helpful. Why are teachers not better trained to recognize the early signs of reading disabilities? Thank you so much for listening. Our voices really need to be heard.

The LDAO responds ... There are a number of approaches and standards in school boards for meeting the needs of students with special needs. Time, money and resources often influence how support is provided. If you are concerned about the resources available, you may wish to speak with you school board directly.

Dyslexia is the most common of learning disabilities. Although school boards identify students under Communication – Learning Disability, and don’t usually use the term dyslexia, the most important issue is that the teaching approach is individualized to the student, based on the results of the psychoeducational assessment. There has been a great deal of research on reading disabilities in the last few years, and research-based methods are starting to infiltrate the school system. In terms of early signs of reading disabilities, the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario is currently working on a 3-year project (to be completed in July 2007) that will assist all provincial school boards in early screening and intervention tool.

Q: My daughter has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (by our psychiatrist) and with a learning disorder by the Peel Children's Centre. She is now part of the day treatment program at PCC where they are attempting to treat her for behaviour problems (with limited success based on an ADHD diagnosis by their psychiatrist). The learning disability has not been addressed in this program so as a result she is a non-reader at 10 years old. She is in the COVE reading program at school. My feeling is that she needs specialized help in academic work both at school and elsewhere. Can you help with the reading program given the bipolar disorder? For the next school year I would like her to be in a special ed class with a dedicated teaching aide. How do I go about this? Can Peel community living assist us at all, both in terms of resources and respite care?

The LDAO responds ... The staff at Peel Children’s Centre should be able to provide guidance on appropriate programs and services for your daughter. You may also wish to speak with someone at the special education department in your local school board or the special education resource teacher at your local community school. As you have indicated, it will be important to find a placement that is appropriate for her mental health and learning needs. It is usually possible to work on reading and other academic areas at the same time as other issues, as long as behavioural concerns do not interfere. What goals and strategies are listed in her Individual Education Plan? The approaches to remediation of her academic difficulties should be based on the psychoeducational assessment.

Q: I am wondering how adults who were missed as children can get LD/ADD testing in Ontario? I have heard that testing costs $1,200, and this is very prohibitive for most, if not all, adults affected by these learning problems. I am asked this all the time by adults who are underachievers in their lives and suspect an LD or ADD. My own LD/ADD testing was paid for by an Ontario government program for post-secondary students called the Bursary for Students With Disabilities (BSWD). I am also wondering where LD/ADD people can see medical specialists under OHIP -- no one in Toronto seems to be taking patients! Not everyone can afford $100/hr for a psychologist. Thank you.

The LDAO responds ... Unfortunately the opportunities for LD/ADHD assessment of adults are very limited. ADHD can be diagnosed by a medical professional, such as a psychiatrist, and this would be at least partially covered under OHIP, but there are relatively few who are familiar with ADHD in adults. Our local Learning Disabilities Association chapters should be aware of those services in their communities (www.ldao.ca, select Chapters). Learning disabilities and/or ADHD can be diagnosed by a qualified member of the College of Psychologists (a psychologist or psychological associate), and the fees may be partially covered under group medical plans. Assessments are also available through programs such as Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) Employment Supports, for those who qualify. A local Learning Disability Association chapter could discuss options for assessment and treatment.

Q: I have a 7-year-old daughter in Grade 2, she attends school in the Durham Catholic school system. She is struggling with her written vocabulary. She is an A student in all other areas, but has trouble with the written word. She started speaking later than average, at age 2 1/2-3. She was diagnosed with a dysfluency, but that is now gone. She has received help with her phonological awareness and reading. Although her reading is always improving, her teacher and I agree that she seems to still struggle. One observation made is that she will sound out the last letter of a word, not the first. She struggles with vowels and especially vowels in the middle of a word. Although she does well with her spelling tests, etc. when left to write in her journal, she has trouble. Some of the words make no phonological sense at all. She still frequently reverses her b's, d's and p's, her 3's, 9's and 7's. Sometimes she catches this error herself, but not always.

We have noticed at home that she will often use the opposite of a word. For example, when it is cold outside she likes to wear tights under her pants. She will ask me "Mommy, can I wear tights over my pants today?" When I ask her how she wants to wear her tights, she will correct herself. She does this with under/over, up/down, yesterday/today/tomorrow. Her teachers are very pleased with her progress and they have told us that she works very hard at school, but I am concerned that these issues are all related and she may need some type of specialized assistance with her written vocabulary. Thank you for your time.

The LDAO responds ... Thank you for sharing your story. You have demonstrated a keen awareness of your child’s strengths and needs. It is excellent that you have an open dialogue with such a committed teacher. Having this type of dialogue will help as your child gets older. It will help inform decisions about providing extra support or assessments if necessary. Children who have early difficulties in language development may continue to have subtle language processing deficits that can affect written language. It may be worthwhile to have a reassessment by a speech-language pathologist to look at her current functioning. This may be possible through the school, or you could consider a private assessment, especially if you have a group medical plan that would cover part of the cost. If you contact resource@ldao.ca we can send you a couple of articles on language processing.

Q: I read in the Star that you are taking questions about concerns in special education. I am not sure if this would include mine, however I am sending it just in case.

My daughter has a chromosome abnormality that has resulted in a Global Development Delay and Feeding Issues. She has a g-tube so the education system has deemed that her care be placed under the supervision of a nurse. My limited understanding of the political structure is that the education system sources the nursing care through community care access and a nurse employed by a healthcare agency performs the nursing functions in the school.

Over the last few years, I have repeatedly asked to be kept informed of my daughter's health at school. I believe I should be informed any time that her physical state is abnormal for her, if they are not following the doctors orders or have concerns with the order, if her food is not kept at the correct temperature, and if they are any other concerns about her health status. I have been told that they have no obligation to tell me anything and that the College of Nurses does not mandate this communication.

I have spoken to a few school principals and was told that the nurses are a separate group and I need to deal with them directly. I have also been told that though a call usually goes home when a typical child is sick at a regular school, the school is not required to communicate that either.

When I spoke to community care, they told me that I need to talk to the nurses directly. The nursing agency has not adequately addressed my requirement for communication. My daughter does not speak and cannot tell me what is, or has been wrong. The Ministry of Education has already recognized the requirement for my daughter to be cared for by someone trained to assess health status, however I think that communicating that health status is a critical component of her care. My daughter is negatively impacted by this lack of communication. In fact, I had to keep her out of school for the majority of the last year - not because her health prevented her from going, but because her health issues require communication.

I look forward for any guidance you could provide to resolve this issue. If my daughter is registered in public school, isn't the ministry ultimately responsible for her care? It is not important to me whether I get this communication from the school or the nurses.

The ASO responds ... Depending on where you live, you could make contact with Bloorview MacMillan Centre in Toronto or Surrey Place in Toronto, or the association for community living in your local community. You could also check with your local SEAC rep for advice and/or your school trustee if you're not getting satisfaction.

If you need legal advice, for free you can check out ARCH's website - Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped - it is an excellent resource. I would also check with Dr. Norm Forman's group - he recently wrote a good book called "Exceptional Children, Ordinary Schools."

Q: My 5-year-old son is autistic and has been receiving Intensive Behaviour Intervention (IBI) through the Government of Ontario's Pre-school Early Intervention Program for Children with Autism. Clearly, he will need IBI to continue once he starts school. Why is the educational establishment in Ontario so vehemently opposed to IBI for autistic children in the school system? Surely, they should support a learning approach that will help kids with autism learn.

The ASO responds ... IBI (or IEIP – Intensive Early Intervention Program) is a specific program funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services that began by serving 3-6 year olds with autism. Not all children with ASD were eligible for the treatment program and many eligible children on waiting lists age out of that program before they even got started. One of the challenges currently faced by many families whose children did very well in the IBI program was the discovery that their child’s school program did not have education staff sufficiently trained to transfer successful teaching practices in the IBI program to a school setting. This has been a source of frustration for parents who are now awaiting the outcome of an appeal currently before the courts by the Government of Ontario to the Deskin/Wynberg case which supports the continuation of IBI for children over the age of 6. Details of that ruling can be found in a full document at http://www.essac.com/ Also see today's story in The Star.

Q: How can parents get ABA/IBI INSIDE the classrooms, so children with autism CAN learn according to THEIR needs? Thank you.

The ASO responds ... Every student with ASD needs an Individualized Education Plan which identifies learning outcomes and the educational strategies that are the best for achieving those goals within school settings. Many principles of applied behaviour analysis are already used generally and specifically as good teaching practices in Ontario schools. Additional training in evidence-based practices, such as ABA as applied in classroom settings, is necessary to provide those teaching students with ASD with many of skills necessary to achieve the goals identified in a student’s IEP.

Q: My older son (aged 11) is currently enrolled in a special education program in the Hastings & Prince Edward school board, and has been now for three years. He has been repeatedly "suspended" from school for inappropriate behaviour and/or language, but always (conveniently) for less than three full days--therefore not appealable. He is mentally disabled, and has been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Many of his "behaviours" are due directly or indirectly to his disability. The Safe Schools Act, as I am sure you are familiar, seems to be targeting children like my son. If special needs students are "different" enough to be eligible for a special education (IEP), then why are they subject to the exact same rules as all the other children in the school system?

The ASO responds ... Right now in Ontario, the Safe Schools Act is being reviewed by a team led by MPP Liz Sandals. Public consultations are taking place in various locations across Ontario. The issue of suspension and expulsion of students with special needs is a significant concern. The Ministry of Education recently released alarming statistics about the high rates of suspension among this group of students; in addition, the application of the suspensions varies across the province. As well, many families tell us that their child’s informal suspension is likely not included in those formal statistics, suggesting even higher rates than the ministry’s report. Our view is that suspension of students with ASD for the purpose of changing the behaviour for which the student was suspended is not supported in the research literature. Instead, efforts should be focused on prevention of unfortunate situations, providing educators with better training about the nature of ASDs, keeping students and staff safe, while continuing to find better ways to achieve the educational goals identified in the student’s IEP.

Q: I have an autistic son and I have a question for you. Do the people working with special children have any kind of training to help them understand these special children better? From my experience over the last five years, I know the teaching assistants are great but often the teachers of special classes (ASD,DC and DD) lack the compassion they should have to help our children in a more appropriate and acceptable manner. Their attitude is appalling and disgusting.

The ASO responds ... Various professionals are responsible for the education of students with special needs in Ontario’s school system. Assistants in the classroom have different employment standards than teachers, and they may have very limited expertise or many years of experience in working with a range of students with exceptional learning needs. The pre-service curriculum for certified teachers will vary depending on their area of expertise.

In an education survey of approximately 400 parents of children with ASD in Ontario conducted by ASO a few years ago, the number one item parents identified as a need was further ASD training for education professionals. There is currently no mandatory ASD–related coursework for teachers working specifically with students with autism. Staff development opportunities are offered in most school boards, but there is a long way to go in equipping educators to work effectively with students with ASD. The capacity of schools to effectively teach students with ASD varies from board to board. The current School Support Program for ASD is an initial step to provide better training in evidence-based practices. A review of this program will be most welcome to determine its effectiveness.