Agency Supports
Please visit the YRDSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) website to find agency and community supports.
- Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA)
- Canadian Hearing Society
- Voice for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
Print Resources
Educating Educators About ABI: Resource Book. This resource is an aid for educators working with the challenges facing children with acquired brain injury (ABI) and is a valuable source of information for anyone involved in the education of a student living and learning with the effects of injury to the brain.
Learning and Cognitive Communication Challenges: Developing Educational Programs for Students with Brain Injuries. Roberta DePompei, Ph.D. & Janet Tyler, Ph.D. This 46-page manual explains the relationship between cognitive processes and classroom behavior. By understanding the effects of these challenges on learning and behavior in the classroom, educators and therapists can develop more effective educational strategies and accommodations.
Making the IEP Process Work For Students with Brain Injuries. Bonnie Todis, McKay Moore Sohlberg, & Ann Glang. This manual provides practical suggestions for gathering information and developing effective educational plans for students with brain injuries in middle, junior high and high school.
Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury, Proactive Intervention, 2nd Edition. Jean Blosser and Roberta DePompei. Any parent whose child has a cognitive communication disorder from a brain injury should recommend that the school use this book for educational planning. It is written primarily for speech and language specialists.
Signs and Strategies for Educating Students with Brain Injuries, 2nd Edition (Marilyn Lash, Gary Wolcott & Sue Pearson) This book gives a basic overview of the consequences that brain injuries can have on students’ behaviour and adjustment in school. It explains common changes and gives strategies for the classroom and at home.
Unlocking the Myths: Keys to Success. Brain Injury Services of Simcoe County, Neurological Rehabilitation Institute of Ontario. (2006)
Agency Supports
Please visit the YRDSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) website to find agency and community supports.
Partnerships with outside agencies are utilized to facilitate program support among school, home and community. Team members may include parent/guardian, the student, in-school staff, Student Services staff and staff from outside agencies.
- Early Intervention Services
- Kerry's Place
- Geneva Centre
- Autism Ontario - York Chapter
- Behaviour Management Services
- Association for Community Living (Central York)
- Association for Community Living (York South)
- Association for Community Living (Georgina)
- Kinark Child and Family Services
- Mackenzie Health: Centre for Behaviour Health Sciences
Print Resources
Accessing the curriculum for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders: Using the TEACCH programme to help inclusion. Gary Mesibov and Marie Howley.
Activity schedules for children with autism: Teaching independent behavior. Lynn E. McClannahan & Patricia J. Krantz
Asperger syndrome: A practical guide for teachers. Val Cumine, Julia Leach, and Gill Stevenson.
Asperger syndrome and difficult moments: Practical solutions for tantrums, rage and meltdowns. Brenda Smith Myles and Jack Southwick.
Asperger syndrome in the inclusive classroom: advice and strategies for teachers. Stacey W. Betts, Dion E. Betts, and Lisa N. Gerber-Eckard
Autism & PDD. Adolescent social skills lessons: vocational. Pam Britton Reese and Nena C. Challenner.
Autism & PDD. Intermediate social skills lessons: communication. Pam Britton Reese and Nena C. Challenner.
Autism & PDD. Adolescent social skills lessons: health & hygiene. Pam Britton Reese and Nena C. Challenner.
Autism & PDD. Adolescent social skills lessons: interacting. Pam Britton Reese and Nena C. Challenner.
Autism & PDD. Intermediate social skills lessons. Controlling behavior. Pam Britton Reese and Nena C. Challenner.
Autism & PDD. Intermediate social skills lessons. Healthy habits. Pam Britton Reese and Nena C. Challenner.
Autism & PDD: Intermediate social skills lessons: Special events & activities. Pam Britton Reese and Nena C. Challenner.
Autism & PDD. Adolescent social skills lessons: managing behavior. Pam Britton Reese and Nena C. Challenner.
Autism & PDD: Primary social skills lessons. Getting along. Pam Britton Reese and Nena C. Challenner.
Autism & PDD: Social skills lessons. Home. Pam Britton Reese and Nena C. Challenner.
Autism & PDD: Social skills lessons. Behavior. Pam Britton Reese and Nena C. Challenner.
Autism-P.D.D.: Creative ideas during the school years. Janice I. Adams.
Autism-P.D.D.: Introductory strategies for parents and professionals. Janice I. Adams.
Autism-P.D.D.: More creative ideas from age eight to early adulthood. Janice I. Adams.
Autistic disorder intervention manual: Goals, objectives, and intervention strategies. Amy E. Antes and Samm N. House.
Basic skills checklists: Teacher-friendly assessment for students with autism or special needs. Marlene Brietenbach.
Behavior intervention manual: Goals, objectives, and intervention strategies. Edited by Samm N. House.
Behavioral intervention for young children with autism: A manual for parents and professionals. Edited by Catherine Maurice: co-editors, Gina Green, Stephen C. Luce.
Been there. Done that. Finally getting it right: A guide to educational planning for a student with autism: lessons from a mother and teacher. Jennifer Krumins
Building bridges through sensory integration. Ellen Yack, Shirley Sutton, and Paula Aquilla.
Building independence: How to create and use structured work systems. Christine E. Reeve, and Susan S. Kabot.
Building positive behavior support systems in schools: Functional behavioral assessment. Deanne A. Crone, and Robert H. Horner.
The child with special needs: Encouraging intellectual and emotional growth. Stanley I. Greenspan, Serena Wieder, with Robin Simons.
Communication based intervention for problem behavior: A user’s guide for producing positive change. Edward Carr.
Do-watch-listen-say: Social and communication intervention for children with autism. Kathleen Ann Quill with invited contributions from Kathleen Norton Bracken, Maria E. Fair, Julie Ann Fiore.
Effective educational practices for students with autism spectrum disorders, a resource guide. Ministry of Education (2007).
Emergent literacy success: Merging technology and whole language for students with disabilities. Caroline Ramsey Musslewhite, Pati King-DeBaun.
Graphic organizers...: Helping children think visually. Kris Flynn. Edited by Barbara Maio.
The hidden curriculum: Practical solutions for understanding unstated rules in social situations. Brenda Smith Myles, Melissa L. Trautman, Ronda L. Schelvan.
How do I teach this kid?: Visual work tasks for beginning learners on the autism spectrum. Kimberly A Henry.
How to be a para pro: A comprehensive training manual for paraprofessionals. Diane Twachtman-Cullen.
Inclusion of students with autism: using ABA-based supports in general Education. Joel Hundert.
The incredible 5-point scale [(DVD) video-recording]: Assisting students in understanding social interactions and controlling their emotional responses.
The incredible 5-point scale: Assisting students with autism spectrum disorders in understanding social interactions and controlling their emotional responses. Kari Dunn Buron and Mitzi Curtis.
Inside out: What makes the person with social-cognitive deficits tick?: Asperger Syndrome, high-functioning autism, non-verbal learning disabilities (NLD), pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), hyperlexia: the I LAUGH approach. Michelle Garcia Winner.
"Just give him the whale!": 20 ways to use fascinations, areas of expertise, and strengths to support students with autism. Paula Kluth and Patrick Schwarz.
Learners on the autism spectrum: Preparing highly qualified educators. Edited by Kari Dunn Buron and Pamela Wolfberg.
Learning with a visual brain in an auditory world: Visual language strategies for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Ellyn Lucas Arwood and Carole Kaulitz.
Literacy skill development for students with special learning needs: A strength-based approach. Leslie Todd Broun and Patricia Oelwein.
Navigating the Social World: A Curriculum for individuals with Asperger's Syndrome, high functioning Autism and related disorders. Jeanette L.McAfee.
One Step at a Time ABA and Autism in the Classroom. Jennifer Krummins.
Perfect targets: Asperger syndrome and bullying: Practical solutions for surviving the social world. Rebekah Heinrichs.
Picture exchange communication system training manual. Lori Frost and Andy Bondy.
Picture’s worth: PECS and other visual communication strategies in autism. Andy Bondi.
Power cards: Using special interests to motivate children and youth with Asperger syndrome. Elisa Gagnon.
Setting up classroom spaces that support students with autism spectrum disorders. Susan Kabot and Christine Reeve.
Social skills activities for special children. Darlene Mannix.
The social skills picture book: teaching communication, play and emotion. Jed Baker.
Solving behavior problems in autism: Improving communication with visual strategies. Linda A. Hodgdon.
Taming the recess jungle. Carol Gray.
Tasks Galore. Laurie Eckenrode, Pat Fennell and Kathy Hearsey
Tasks Galore: Making groups meaningful. Laurie Eckenrode, Pat Fennell and Kathy Hearsey.
Teaching math to people with Down Syndrome and other hands-on learners. DeAnna Horstmeier.
Understanding the nature of autism: A guide to the autism spectrum disorders. Janice E. Janzen
Unstuck and on target!: An executive function curriculum to improve flexibility for children with autism spectrum disorders. Lynn Cannon [et al.].
Video modelling and behavior analysis [electronic resource]: A guide for teaching social skills to children with autism. Christos Nikopoulos and Mickey Keenan.
Visual strategies for improving communication: Volume 1: Practical supports for school and home. Linda A. Hodgdon.
A work in progress: Behavior management strategies and a curriculum for intensive behavioral treatment of autism. Ron Leaf and John McEachin [editors].
Agency Supports
Please visit the YRDSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) website to find agency and community supports.
Clinical low vision evaluations and prescribed low vision devices are available from the following community clinics:
- Centre for Sight Enhancement - University of Waterloo School of Optometry
- Scarborough Low Vision Clinic and Vision Institute of Canada in North York
- W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind
- Canadian National Institute for the Blind
YRDSB Support Staff:
Central Braillist with Regional Blind/Low Vision Services transcribes texts and other curricular materials into literary and nemeth braille, large print and auditory formats. Other responsibilities include contacting agencies specific to blind and low vision, maintaining an inventory of materials in alternative formats, equipment, and producing tactile graphics and adaptive visual aids.
Classroom Braillists with Regional Blind/Low Vision Services transcribe daily curricular print materials and school communications into braille to support student programs. Other responsibilities include contacting agencies, reading books on to audio tapes, enlarging print materials, and adapting visual aids.
Deafblind Intervenors with Regional Blind/Low Vision Services facilitate a total communication approach and environmental access for students who are Deafblind, under the guidance of the teacher of students with visual Impairments and in collaboration with the classroom teachers.
Program Supports
Braille, large print, electronic files and audio formats of materials are available from the Resource Services Library from the W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind located in Brantford, Ontario.
Where special equipment is required to meet individual needs, school personnel, family and Student Services staff work together to provide this equipment, often through the Ministry of Education’s SEA claims process.
Print Resources
Canadian National Standards: For the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, Including Those with Additional Disabilities. National Coalition for Vision Health. (2004)
Educating Students Who Have Visual Impairments With Other Disabilities. Sacks, S.Z., & R.K. Silberman (Eds.) (1998)
Foundations of Education: Instructional Strategies for Teaching Children and Youth with Visual Impairments. (2nd ed.) Koenig, A. J., & Holbrook, M.C. (2000)
A Paraprofessional’s Handbook For Working With Students Who Are Visually Impaired. Miller, C., & Levack, N. (1997)
When You Have A Visually Impaired Child In Your Classroom: A Guide For Teachers (2nd ed.). Torres, I., & Corn, A.L. (2005)
Online Resources
Agency Supports
Please visit the YRDSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) website to find agency and community supports.
- Canadian Hard of Hearing Association
- Canadian Hearing Society
- Voice for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
YRDSB Support Staff:
Sign Language Interpreting/Oral Interpreting and Access Notetaking services may be provided to students with a hearing loss in special class placements to facilitate their integration.
An Educational Audiologist is available to consult with Regional Hearing Resource Teachers regarding issues related to:
- ensuring individualized fitting and installation of FM systems for students;
- providing information relative to audiological equipment and related issues; and
- assisting to create the most accessible learning environment for students with hearing loss including considerations related to acoustics.
Program Supports
Repair and maintenance of FM equipment and accessories are provided through the Regional Hearing Resource Department FM Technician. Some repairs are provided by specific equipment manufacturers.
Online Resources
Agency Supports
Please visit the YRDSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) website to find agency and community supports.
- The Down Syndrome Association of York Region
- Developmental Services Ontario (DSO)
- Association for Community Living (Central York)
- Association for Community Living (York South)
- Association for Community Living (Georgina)
- York Support Services Network (YSSN)
Program Supports
At the secondary level, the Work Experience Program Coordinator may provide resource support to students identified with a mild intellectual disability for the transition from school to work/post-secondary opportunities as outlined in the student’s Transition Plan.
Print Resources
Connections: A Guide to Transition Planning for parents of children with a developmental disability.
The Hidden Curriculum: Practical Solutions for Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations. Myles, Brenda Smith. (2004). ISBN 9781931282604
Functional Curriculum for Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Age Students with Special Needs, Wehman, Paul. (2004). ISBN 0890799563
Teaching Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities. Browder, Diane M.
(2011). ISBN 9781606239919
Choosing Outcomes and Accommodations for Children (COACH) 2nd edition. Giangreco, Michael. (1998) ISBN 1-55766-3238.
Friendships and Community Connections between People with and without Developmental Disabilities. Novak Amado, Angela. (1993) ISBN 1-55766-121-9
Opening Doors: Connecting Students to Curriculum, Classmates, and Learning. Buswell, B. E., Schnaffner, C. B., Seyler, A. B. (Eds.)
Restructuring High Schools for All Students: Taking Inclusion to the Next Level. Jorgensen, Cheryl M., Ph.D., with invited contributors. (1998) ISBN 1-55766-313-0
Teaching Communication Skills to Students with Severe Disabilities. Downing, Dr. June. (1999) ISBN 1- 55766-3858
Agency Supports
Please visit the YRDSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) website to find agency and community supports.
- The Association of Bright Children of Ontario
Program Supports
Students with English as a Second Language who are in the gifted program may also require ELL programming.
YRDSB Print Resources
Gifted Program Strategies, 1998.
Math Stretch 7/8, 1998.
Primary Enrichment, 2000.
Print Resources
Being Smart about Gifted Education: A Guidebook for Parents and Educators. Dona Mathews and Joanne Foster.
Best Practices in Gifted Education: An Evidence-Based Guide. Ann Robinson, Bruce M. Shore, Donna L. Enersen.
Comprehensive Curriculum for Gifted Learners. Joyce VanTassel-Baska.
The Gifted Kids Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook. Judy Galbraith and Jim Delisle.
The Handbook of Secondary School Gifted Education. Felicia A. Dixon, Sidney M. Moon.
Helping Gifted Children Soar: A Practical Guide for Parents and Teachers. Carol A. Strip.
How to Differentiate in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. Carol Ann Tomlinson.
Inspiring Middle School Minds: Gifted Creative and Challenging. Judy Willis.
Re-Forming Gifted Education: Matching the Program to the Child. Karen Rogers.
Smart Kids with Learning Difficulties: Overcoming Obstacles and Reaching Potential. Rich Weinfield, Linda Barnes-Robinson, Sue Jeweler, Betty Roffman-Shevitz.
The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children: What Do We Know? Maureen Neihart, Sally Reis, Nancy Robinson, Sidney Moon.
Some of My Best Friends are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Preschool to High School. Judith Wynn Halsted.
Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom: Strategies and Techniques Every Teacher Can Use to Meet the Academic Needs of the Gifted and Talented. Susan Winebrenner; edited by Pamela Espeland.
Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom: Identifying, Nurturing, and Challenging Ages 4-9. Joan Franklin, M. A. Smutny, Sally Yahnke Walker, Elizabeth Meckstroth.
"The Tool Kit for Curriculum Differentiation". Lannie Kanevsky, Fac. of Ed. Simon Fraser University.
Uniquely Gifted: Identifying and Meeting the Needs of the Twice-Exceptional Student. Kay Kiesa.
Agency Supports
Please visit the YRDSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) website to find agency and community supports.
Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO)
Learning Disabilities Association of York Region (LDAYR)
Print Resources
Academic Success Strategies for Adolescents with LD and ADHD. Minskoff, Esther and Allsopp, David. (2003)
The Bake Sale: A Program to Sensitize Students to Different Learning Disabilities. Learning Disabilities Association of York Region.
Classroom Assessment for Student Learning. Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, and Chappuis. (2007)
Executive Function in Education from Theory to Practice. Meltzer, Lynn. (2007)
Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children. Fountas and Pinnell. (1996)
Guiding Readers, Guiding Writers: Grades 3-6. Fountas and Pinnell. (2001)
How Difficult Can This Be: The F.A.T. City Workshop (video). Lavoie, Richard.
How to Differentiate in Mixed Ability Classrooms: 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.Tomlinson, C. A. (2001)
How to Reach and Teach Children and Teens with Dyslexia. Stowe, Cynthia M., M. ED. It's So Much Work To Be Your Friend. Lavoie, Richard. (2005)
Learning Disabilities A to Z. Smith, Corinne, Ph.D. and Strick, Lisa.
The Misunderstood Child (4th Edition). Silver, Larry B. (2006)
Nonverbal LD and the Clinical Subtypes. Mamen, Maggie. On the Same Page:
Shared Reading Beyond the Primary Grades. Allen. (2002)
The School Survival Guide for Kids with LD. Cummings, Rhoda ED.D. and Fisher, Gary, Ph.D.
The School Survival Guide for Teenagers with LD. Cummings, Rhoda ED.D. and Fisher, Gary, Ph.D.
The Source for Nonverbal Learning Disorder. Thompson, Sue. -J.64-
Start Where They Are: Differentiating for Success with the Young Adolescent. Hume. (2008)
Strategies that Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement, 2nd Edition. Harvey and Goudvis. (2007).
Teaching Kids with Learning Difficulties in the Regular Classroom. Winebrenner, Susan.
Teaching the Tiger. Dornbush, Marilyn, Ph.D. and Pruitt, Sheryl, Ph.D.
Online Resources
Agency Supports
Please visit the YRDSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) website to find agency and community supports.
Agency Supports
Please visit the YRDSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) website to find agency and community supports.
Print Resources
Childhood Speech, Language and Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know. Patricia McAleer Hamaguchi, John Wiley and Sons. (1995) A great resource for parents who are wondering if their child has a communication disorder, and what to do to help.
Online Resources