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The School-Based Rehabilitation Services (SBRS) newsletter is for teachers, resource teachers, early childhood educators, educational assistants, administrators and other school staff interested in learning more about creating inclusive, supportive classrooms for students with different needs and abilities.
Crafted exclusively for our school partners, this must-read newsletter offers updates about Grandview Kids' programs and services that are the most relevant to you. We will also share helpful tips from our clinicians that can be used in your schools and classrooms.
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What you'll find in this issue | |
- Learn more about the Tiered Occupational Therapy (OT) Service Model that is coming to all schools in Fall 2024 (presentation linked below).
- Review our curated list of resources to support children as they enter Kindergarten.
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Read the helpful tips developed by Grandview Kids clinicians about gross motor skills and supporting students who stutter.
- See how students and classrooms can be supported by Grandview Kids outside of SBRS, including our Adolescent Transition and Ability Acceptance Programs.
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Tiered OT service model coming to ALL schools Fall 2024: Review the introductory presentation | |
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Grandview Kids is preparing for our full launch of the Tiered OT Service Model across all schools in the Durham Region in September 2024.
Why this matters: This Service Model informs how we will offer our services in schools starting in the fall of 2024. In September 2023, Grandview Kids started rolling out tiered OT services in 87 schools across the Durham Region. Many of our early adopter families and schools are sharing positive feedback about this new service approach.
ACTION: Watch the presentation explaining the OT Tiered Service Model.
We highly encourage your Special Education Support Staff to watch the presentation. You may share this content with any of your school's teams.
In this presentation, we introduce you to our new Occupational Therapy (OT) Tiered Service Model, which includes a breakdown of the three tiers, the rationale for the transition to this service model, and the referral and implementation processes. We will share this information again in Fall 2024.
At the beginning of the next school year, we will share consent forms and information that you will be asked to send home with every student in your school. To prepare for this change, your Occupational Therapist will ask to meet with your school staff to review your current list of students in service and on the waitlist.
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RESOURCES: Getting ready for kindergarten | |
Preparing your children to start school can be a lot of work! Below are some great resources we've collected for parents and caregivers to help their children get ready for Kindergarten. Due to the high number of requests, we are unable to attend “Welcome to Kindergarten” events. Feel free to share these resources with families at your events. | |
Resources created by Grandview Kids
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Please note: Children attending school are no longer eligible for Preschool Speech and Language programs at Grandview Kids. However, you can still attend our workshops and access recorded webinars.
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Ocean eReferrals implemented across all school boards | |
In September 2023, Grandview Kids transitioned to using the Ocean eReferral Network for all external referrals. This includes six English and two French School Boards.
Since transitioning to Ocean, more than 1,500 invitations have been sent requesting staff to create their own accounts to submit referrals to Grandview Kids. We are happy to share that by mid-November 2023, all school boards have successfully transitioned to submitting referrals electronically!
| If you have any questions about how to submit referrals electronically or how to open an account (in case you were missed), contact service.navigation@grandviewkids.ca or call 905-728-1673 x2468. | |
Helpful tips from Grandview Kids clinicians | |
Five tips for Gross Motor Skill instruction and programming
Written by Grandview Kids Physiotherapist Aaron
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We commonly receive referrals for adaptations and recommendations for teaching and developing gross motor skills in the school environment. There are many ways to improve the delivery of this instruction and ensure it is a positive learning experience for everyone. | |
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Here are five tips for Gross Motor Skill instruction and programming:
- Break skills down into smaller, more manageable parts. Review each component separately before integrating it into the whole skill.
- Pair verbal cues with visual ones. This can include a demonstration, the use of picture cards, or a video outlining the skill being practiced. You can provide multiple demonstrations if necessary.
- Reduce the time between demonstration and practice to allow for prompt practice and revision of the skill.
- Incorporate props and equipment: Use a variety of items such as balls, cones, and floor markers to add variety to skill practice and allow for progressions/regressions based on current skill level.
- Provide specific and positive feedback often to ensure it is a positive learning experience!
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Understanding and supporting students who stutter
Written by Grandview Kids Speech-Language Pathologist Alicia
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Dispelling stuttering myths
Myth: It does not matter how old a child is when they receive intervention.
Fact: Early intervention is key.
Myth: It’s a psychological problem caused by anxiety, stress or nervousness.
Fact: While anxiety or stress may worsen stuttering, it is a neurological condition. Stuttering also has nothing to do with intelligence.
Myth: A person who stutters simply needs to relax and calm down before they speak.
Fact: Telling a person who stutters to “just relax” or “calm down” is usually not helpful because it increases the pressure on them to speak perfectly.
Myth: It's okay to finish a person’s sentence for them if they’re stuttering.
Fact: It is recommended that you be a good listener and give children time to finish their sentences because this sends the message, “You can do it.”
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How to support a student who stutters | |
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Strategies that can be used in the classroom:
- Slow down your rate of speech.
- Add pauses in your speech.
- Be a good listener and do not interrupt or rush the student (this can also be taught to peers).
- Take turns in conversation (this can be encouraged as a classroom rule).
- Limit questions.
Click here to review a short video about stuttering and how to support a student who stutters.
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Adolescent Transition Program | |
Child to adult services transition resources for students with developmental needs aged 15+ | |
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Grandview Kids’ Adolescent Transition Program provides much-needed support to clients and their families that are aging out of paediatric developmental services, such as those offered by Grandview Kids. Families would start this transition planning at age 15 (Grade 10) to prepare for critical applications at ages 16 and 18.
The Program focuses on four goal areas:
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ACTION: Please share this flyer with your students and their families. Share in your newsletters. Post in your schools.
Who is eligible?
Youths, aged 15 to 21, who have communication, physical or developmental needs. There are resources and supports for caregivers, as well as adolescents. The youth may or may not have been a Grandview Kids client in the past. If a client/student is receiving transition support through SBRS, they are still eligible to access to access other tools and resources offered through the Adolescent Transition Program.
Where should clients, caregivers or educators start?
Download our Adolescent Transition Toolkit. This toolkit serves as a roadmap. It can be used by youths on their own, or by their caregivers and educators. The Toolkit reviews steps that adolescents must take as they transition to adult services. We also included other resources, which some clients and caregivers might find helpful throughout the transition process. The Toolkit starts at Age 12 through Age 18.
Caregivers, parents and adult guardians can join our free, online support group, called the Transition: Adolescent Parent Support (TAPS) Facebook page. It offers networking, mentorship, support and resource navigation in a safe, collaborative space. For more information, email familyengagement@grandviewkids.ca.
To make a referral to the Adolescent Transition Program, please visit the Grandview Kids online Referral page .
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Ability Acceptance Program | |
Make your school more inclusive for all students: Host a presentation on Ability Acceptance | |
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At Grandview Kids, we aim to actively contribute to a community that is inclusive and accepting of all abilities. Our Ability Acceptance Program is available to schools, with the goal to enhance the understanding and acceptance of all abilities and promote inclusive practices in the classroom and beyond. We teach about easy ways to be an inclusive ally, the history and prevalance of disabilities in Canada, AODA considerations and more. The presentation is appropriate for staff or students.
Through this program, we offer:
- Presenters with lived experience (former Grandview clients or caregivers)
- Presentations tailored to all audiences, including adults, youth and children (starting in Grade 6)
- Virtual and in-person options
To request a presentation, fill out this form. For more information, visit our website under Resources > Ability Acceptance Program.
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Want to hear more from Grandview Kids? | |
Register for our monthly newsletter for Grandview Kids clients, caregivers, their families and our community partners: Gather by Grandview! Distributed on the first of every month, Gather shares all things Grandview: new programs and projects, upcoming events, important announcements and more. | |
Want to view past editions of Gather by Grandview?
View the archived list on our website!
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EKO Scholarship opportunity for eligible students | Empowered Kids Ontario (EKO) represents Ontario’s child development and rehabilitation agencies, including Grandview Kids. The EKO Scholarship was established to support promising young people to achieve their educational and career goals. There are eight (8) awards of $3,000, including an award dedicated to First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth. | |
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Applicants must have received or currently receive services from an EKO General Member organization and must be entering or enrolled in accredited post-secondary or graduate programs at colleges, universities, Indigenous institutes or accredited career training programs/vocational institutes in Fall 2024. In-person, online and hybrid programs are eligible. | |
The SBRS newsletter will be distributed twice a year: once in the Fall (at the start of the school year) and once in the Spring (before the school year draws to a close). If you have any questions about the newsletter or Grandview Kids SBRS, please email Linda Laing, Grandview Kids Director of Clinical Services, School Years, at Linda.Laing@grandviewkids.ca. | | | | |
