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UGDSB - Strategies to Support Executive Functions

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A Day in the Life of a Child With Executive Functioning Issues

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About the Author The Understood Team is composed of writers, editors and community moderators, many of whom have children with learning and attention issues. Reviewed by Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

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Activated Learning is not a curriculum - it is a new way of understanding students' abilities. It makes different approaches to teaching possible.

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Click here to learn how the groundbreaking science of Self-Reg will help you support the children, youth and adults in your community by tackling stress, behaviour & wellness.

"The concepts that were explored in this course were life-altering. I wish for everyone to experience the mind-shift that comes from applying a Self-Reg lens." -Ashley. Register HERE

As I've mentioned before, I often find Self-Reg thinking running through my head. The questions, "Why?," and "Why now?," which Stuart Shanker is known for asking, are ones that I contemplate frequently, especially when noticing student behaviour. Sometimes though, no...

Explore all our Self-Reg Blogs HERE

Self-Regulation Is

How we respond to stress, all the way from self-regulating mechanisms deep in the brain to the skills we learn to reduce the load on these mechanisms.

Self-Reg Is

A five-step method (and framework) to deal with stress so that we experience calm (homeostasis) in mind and body and, from there, begin to restore physiologically, emotionally, psychologically and socially.

What We Do

At The MEHRIT Centre, we teach the people who care for and work with children and youth - parents, early years professionals and school teams - so they are better equipped to support dysregulated kids.

OUR 10TH ANNUAL

When: July 2-5, 2024

Where: Gzowski College, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada & Online

Theme: Wellness Inclusion Resilience Equity D evelopment

Who: SRSS is a perfect fit for all professionals and parents who care for and work with children, youth and adults. All are welcome!

START YOUR SELF-REG LEARNING JOURNEY TODAY!

And don't just take our word for it. Here's what our learners have to say:

HOPE RENEWED
I was expecting to take away the usual few tips and tricks to add to my toolbox. What I did not expect was to experience a complete paradigm shift. Both professionally and personally, I find myself experiencing curiosity, hope and optimism in the growth and potential of not only the children that I work but in my own home and with my own two boys.

- Andrew, Early Childhood Certificate Program

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At The MEHRIT Centre, we teach the people who care for and work with children and youth - parents, early years professionals and school teams

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"Our Self-Advocacy Pamphlet Journey" VIDEO

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"Our Self-Advocacy Pamphlet Journey" VIDEO

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Our Self-Advocacy Pamphlet Journey" created by, Mike Di Donato and his Grade Eight Students from LDAO on Vimeo.

Click here to view the transcription of this video.

Sagonaska is a Provincial Demonstration School for students with learning disabilities (LDs), located in Belleville, Ontario. After seeing a webinar from the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO) where Julia Osborne showed the self-advocacy cards she created and uses in her school board (York Region District School Board), the students in Mike Di Donato's grade 8 class decided to create their own self-advocacy pamphlets, to assist in their transition to grade 9.

To begin the process, Mike conferenced with individual students, using the "Understanding LDs" chart (also known as the Waterfall Chart), created by the York Region District School Board, another resource available on the LD@school website. Reviewing the Waterfall Chart deepened each student's understanding of his or her LDs and the information was visually laid out in a Popplet, a tablet application that enables you to create graphic organizers. This information was then used to create the personalized pamphlets, which included the following areas:

Student Photograph

My Hobbies

My Strengths

My Needs

My Goals

How I Can Help Myself

How You Can Help Me

Specific Technology I Use to be Successful

Click here to access a self-advocacy pamphlet created by Mike Di Donato and his Grade Eight Students. Click here to access another self-advocacy pamphlet created by Mike Di Donato and his Grade Eight Students.
In the words of the students who participated in the development of the video, the pamphlets will serve as a personalized introduction to their new teacher and help the teachers understand what their LDs are, how LDs affect their learning and what the teachers can do to help them succeed.
Click here to check out Sagonaska School's blog. Click here to check out Mr. DiDonato's class blog. Mike Di Donato is currently a Special Education Resource teacher in a grade 7 classroom at Sagonaska Demonstration School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from Trent University and completed the Professional Program in Education in D'Youville College, New York. Prior to working at Sagonaska, Mike worked with students with exceptionalities in Mackenzie, British Columbia. He also taught grade 6 for several years in Trenton, Ontario where he decided to focus his professional career in Special Education. In 2011, Mike earned his Special Education Specialist qualification from the Ontario College of Teachers. Mike is a passionate educator who facilitates a growth mindset and progress in students with Learning Disabilities.

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VIDEO: "Our Self-Advocacy Pamphlet Journey" created by, Mike Di Donato and his Grade Eight Students (Aiden, Denver, and Janine)

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Our Self-Advocacy Pamphlet Journey" created by, Mike Di Donato and his Grade Eight Students from LDAO on Vimeo. Click here to view the transcription of this video. Sagonaska is a Provincial Demonstration School for students with learning disabilities (LDs), located in Belleville, Ontario. After seeing a webinar from the

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Three students are interviewed about their experiences and LD, and how they overcame their difficulties and began to advocate for themselves.

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In this TalkLD podcast, we discuss the topic of self-advocacy from the student perspective. This podcast features three students: A.J., Ava, and Mason who discuss their journeys with self-advocacy.

This podcast is part two of a previously recorded interview between Lawrence and Jenessa Dworet, a Department Head of Special Education and Student Success at a high school in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), who shared her perspective on student self-advocacy.

Hosted by: Lawrence Barns, President & CEO of the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario
Click here to view the transcript of this podcast.
You may listen to this podcast while you are on the LD@school website, or you may download to your portable audio player and listen while you are on the go.

The listeners' guide below will prompt you to reflect on your practices relating to student self-advocacy. The guide includes pre-listening activities, listening activities, and post-listening activities, which can be completed individually or with a group of educators.
Click here to access the listener's guide of this podcast.
Related Resources on the LD@school Website

Click here to access Part one of this podcast to hear Jenessa Dworet's thoughts on student self-advocacy.

Click here to access the video Building self-advocates: a key to student success.
Click here to access the response to the question What does a student need to know about learning disabilities in order to be a self-advocate?
Click here to access the video Our Self-Advocacy Pamphlet Journey.

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The Journey to Becoming a Self-Advocate: Three Students' Perspectives

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In this TalkLD podcast, we discuss the topic of self-advocacy from the student perspective. This podcast features three students: A.J., Ava, and Mason who discuss their journeys with self-advocacy.

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What are executive functioning skills? What are examples of executive functions? Learn about different executive skills, and the three areas of executive function.

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Understanding Learning Disabilities, How Processing Affects Learning

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Understanding Learning Disabilities, How Processing Affects Learning

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Understanding Learning Disabilities, How Processing Affects Mathematics Learning

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Understanding Learning Disabilities, How Processing Affects Mathematics Learning

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Special Education in Ontario, 2017 (DRAFT)

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Special Education in Ontario, 2017 (DRAFT)

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Special Education in Ontario 2017 (DRAFT)

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ADDvocacy ADHD & Life Skills Coaching Ltd

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strADDegies for Success - Executive Function and ADHD

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A Teacher's Journey with Student Self-Advocacy

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A Teacher's Journey with Student Self-Advocacy

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by Julia Osborne, Special Education Resource Teacher, York Region DSB

"When you are on the very long journey that is life, always keep in mind your aspirations because they are your destination."

Where the Journey Began

My journey with student self-advocacy began on rocky terrain; it was a new concept for me, and one of the key missing pieces for my students. Throughout my years of teaching, I listened to my students get upset when a teacher was asking something of them that felt impossible.

I realized that, too often, I was having the difficult conversations with teachers about my student's needs, when I should have been empowering my students to speak for themselves, and to communicate their needs.

At first, I had no idea where to begin. After creating a video of my students speaking out about what they needed in order to succeed in the classroom, I realized that I needed to create something that would help students capture everything they knew about themselves and their needs on paper. It was evident that students had some good ideas about what they needed as learners and how we as teachers could support them; but they had no idea what to do with this information, let alone how to share it.

Creation of Student Self-Advocacy Cards

I introduced student self-advocacy cards as a means for students to communicate their needs as learners and also to support their communications with teachers. The goal was to create something meaningful and useful for both students and teachers.

I learned many lessons along the way as I began introducing the cards; for example, at first, I approached self-advocacy with the idea that my lesson about how to create the cards would be the same for every student, but I very quickly learned that each student required a different starting point based on their individual needs.

Once the cards were created, I learned that teaching students HOW to use their cards was as critical to their success as creating the cards. Teaching students howto use their advocacy cards is a process of continuous growth for me, as each year brings new learners and a new set of challenges to help them understand how they can best use their advocacy cards to support their success.
Click here to access an example of self-advocacy cards created by Julia Osborne.
Success Stories

The pay-off has been incredible, both for students and for teachers. Seeing my students grow from role-playing advocacy conversations in our classroom, to watching their interactions with teachers, has been an honour. By the end of the school year I found that, often, these conversations no longer required the physical presence of an advocacy card; just the information on them, because students were now able to independently speak to their needs. I also noticed that these conversations became less frequent, as teachers anticipated their students' needs and began making the accommodation available without the students having to ask. This progress, when teachers began anticipating the students' needs, made my students realize that their needs mattered and that self-advocacy could really work!

In my experience, the use of self-advocacy cards helped teachers provide accommodations and implement strategies that allowed students to focus on what they are good at. In other words, self-advocacy cards helped make practical my philosophy that we need to, 'Focus on what students CAN do, not what they CAN'T!'

Now, a year later, the positive outcomes of using student self-advocacy cards are obvious: students are empowered to find their voice and to realize their needs are important. Self-advocacy focuses students' efforts in learning more about themselves and their needs. It bridges the gap between student and teacher to allow students to communicate what they need. It increases students' confidence and self-esteem because they are more aware of their strengths and they have been given the tools they need to be successful.

Message to Educators

Although we are incredibly busy supporting the many learners in our classrooms, every student is worth it. Help all students understand themselves as a learner and push them to find their voice. By supporting each student in their growth and self-advocacy, we will create strong, confident young men and women who will gain perspective about everything they can accomplish!

Related Resources on the LD@school Website
Click here to access the video Building Self-Advocates: A Key to Student Success. Click here to access the answer to the question What does a student need to know about learning disabilities in order to be a self-advocate?
Click here to access the article Explicit Instruction of Self-Advocacy Skills.

Click here to access the video Our Self-Advocacy Pamphlet Journey.

Click here to access the podcast The Journey to Becoming a Self-Advocate: Three Students' Perspectives.

Click here to access the podcast Supporting Students on their Self-Advocacy Journey.
Julia Osborne, Lead Special Education Resource Teacher at Greensborough Public School, has worked for 13 years with YRDSB and for 7 years as a SERT. She continues to move ahead in improving the teaching of self-advocacy in order to empower her students to find their voices. Many students board-wide are benefiting from her work in advocacy and she continues to work hard to ensure that all students be given this opportunity to find their voice. It is her lifelong mission to be a front-runner in the constant pursuit to change the stigma around learning disabilities.
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A Teacher's Journey with Student Self-Advocacy

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by Julia Osborne, Special Education Resource Teacher, York Region DSB "When you are on the very long journey that is life, always keep in mind your aspirations because they are your destination." Where the Journey Began My journey with student self-advocacy

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A Day in the Life of a Child With Executive Functioning Issues

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About the Author The Understood Team is composed of writers, editors and community moderators, many of whom have children with learning and attention issues. Reviewed by Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.