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FREE WEBINAR SERIES

FASD and Education Across the Lifespan, a three-part series

September 11, 18 and 25
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.

This free three-part webinar series will explore the complexities of navigating the education system at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels. These webinars are designed to provide support for learning, encourage questions and empower individuals with FASD and their families. Esteemed guest speakers will share valuable insights on effectively collaborating within the education system, and securing inclusion and accessibility supports. Participate in these informative sessions to gain a deeper understanding of education and support available for individuals with FASD at various stages in their academic journey.

Webinar Series Details

Part one, Elementary

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. (EDT)

PRESENTED BY TRACEY O’REGAN, COMMUNITY INCLUSION AND SELF ADVOCATE SUPERVISOR AND EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT.

The excitement of children beginning school is an incredible journey. It marks the beginning of a journey towards knowledge, growth and endless possibilities. As a parent, guardian or caregiver of a child with a developmental disability it is crucial to be aware of best practices and next steps to ensure your child receives equitable access to education.

This webinar will explore effective strategies for supporting students with disabilities in their educational setting by discussing the subsequent steps that follow registration, how to promote collaboration among yourself, educators and school administrators, and best practices to ensure your child has the best possible educational experience. Together we will review the importance of collaboration and how to advocate for your child through difficult situations.

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Part two, Secondary

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. (EDT)

PRESENTED BY COURTNEY FARROW-LAWRENCE, FASD SERVICE COORDINATOR, AND YUNN WONG, TEACHER IN THE FASD/TDSB HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM.

Last September 2022, Surrey Place started a new program partnered with the Toronto District School Board. A classroom through the Education Community Partnership Program which challenged our conventional ways of both providing treatment and education, The Classroom Celebrating Neurodiversity. A classroom where we made space to uphold Indigenous understandings of healing and education. Our classroom also operates with the foundational belief that our children/youth are our teachers and community members with physical and/or neuro diversity have important gifts for us to learn from.

The Classroom Celebrating Neurodiversity supports youth from grades 10-12 who are diagnosed with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), or suspect they have FASD, who have not found success in the educational system and needed therapeutic support. Most of our students have been out of school for about 6 months prior to registering with our classroom and have significant trauma backgrounds and overlapping diagnoses. Our students finished off a momentous year: receiving excellent grades; attending school regularly and becoming leaders and teachers for our community.

Our presentation will cover:

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Part three, Post Secondary

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. (EDT)

PRESENTED BY REPRESENTATIVES FROM ONTARIO COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCOMMODATIONS DEPARTMENTS

Join us for an enlightening and empowering panel discussion dedicated to raising awareness about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and exploring accessibility and inclusion services for post-secondary students in Ontario. This unique round table event is specifically designed for transitional aged youth (16-21) and adults with FASD, as well as their circle of support. Our panel consists of experts in the field of post-secondary education. They will shed light on how inclusion and accessibility services are provided, to ensure students with an FASD diagnosis have equitable access to education. You will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations with knowledgeable professionals and passionate advocates deeply invested in improving the educational experience for those affected by FASD.

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Presenters

Tracey O’Regan

Tracey O’Regan is a dedicated Community Inclusion and Self Advocate Supervisor and Education Consultant at Community Living Toronto, an organization committed to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. With a deep passion for education, Tracey has devoted her career to empowering families and individuals to navigate the educational system effectively. As an advocate, Tracey works to ensure that individuals with intellectual disabilities have access to inclusive and quality education.

In addition to her advocacy work, Tracey is a skilled facilitator who leads impactful sibling workshops. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by siblings of individuals with intellectual disabilities, Tracey creates a safe and nurturing space for them to share experiences, gain valuable insights, and develop a strong support network. Tracey has also designed workshops around developing relationships entitled “ Relationships and You” which she has facilitated for community members and students within the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

With her extensive knowledge and expertise, Tracey serves as a presenter on education rights and responsibilities. Through her engaging presentations, she educates and empowers parents, educators, and professionals on the importance of inclusive education and the rights of students with intellectual disabilities.

Courtney Farrow-Lawrence

Gwe’. My ancestry lies in what is now referred to as Nova Scotia in Turtle Island. I am of the Mi’kmaq, African Nova Scotian, Japanese and Acadian French peoples. Over the last 11 years it has been my pleasure to specialize in FASD supports, training, and advocacy while working from an Indigenous worldview to address concurrent and colonial trauma, including the removal from the land, and upholding the importance of traditional Indigenous knowledge. I focus on holistic wellness which starts with our connection to the land. It is also vitally important to me that our youth have a voice, a positive sense of identity and advocates within our communities. I am most grateful to learn from my children and the youth I support, who have given me the opportunity to walk alongside them, for a moment in time, as they journey to becoming our next knowledge keepers – Wela’lin, all our relations hold you up.

Yunn Wong

My name is Yunn Wong and I teach credit courses at the Classroom Celebrating Neurodiversity. I graduated from a TDSB high school in Scarborough and am proud to return to the community I grew up in as an educator. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Music and my Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Queen’s University. Since my time at Queen’s, I have been passionate about studying factors that could lead to a student being deemed “at-risk”. My pedagogy is centered on how I can dismantle these barriers within the classroom and work with students to create a better and more equitable educational climate within the larger society. This will be my second year as part of the Surrey Place-TDSB multidisciplinary team to support students with a confirmed diagnosis or are suspected of having FASD in their education pathways, mental health, and community goals.

By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO