Happy September!

Wow, what a summer this has been! It has felt decadent to download, let go, squish our toes in the lovely sandy beaches of Kelowna, B.C, and just take time to play. I am hoping that this summer, all of you had opportunities to let go, and just be the great families that all of you are.

Back to school season is upon us, and for so many families and children with SPD, this time of year is not filled with happy excitement. It is filled with fear of what will come. Questions such as, ‘Will my child handle all the noise? Will they handle having to sit still too long in a chair? Will there be enough movement breaks throughout the day?’.

We have transferred our son from a special needs program into a community school. The new school is beyond a dream come true, starting right at the front door and going from the principal’s office all the way to the teachers and aide working with our son. It has been a hard and painful journey to get where we are today, and the lesson I have learned is one I was taught many years ago when our son first started his P.U.F. program at the age of 3 – the success of our son started first with the principal. We were extremely fortunate to have had the very best when we started this journey. But sadly, after we left this program we looked for the right program, and learned that in fact the program will never be successful if the principal does not support children with exceptional needs. I am happy to say that we, as a family, feel like coming to our son’s new school is like coming home. There are such high levels of collaboration throughout the entire teaching team. I wish for all of you to have this.

There is so much excitement regarding SPD these days. During the summer, I heard so many professionals and school districts talking about SPD. It is tremendous when I think of where we were not even 4 years ago, and where we are now. I can’t thank the board of SPD Canada enough for all their hard work and dedication to helping educate and collaborate in removing barriers and replacing those with research and knowledge on this disorder.

We are excited about attending some upcoming conferences and workshops. We will be going to Calgary very shortly to attend a two day workshop on dyspraxia, then to Grande Prairie for an early education conference. I am very excited about going to the Alberta Teachers Association Special Needs Conference in October in Kananaskis.  But my all time excitement will be attending the Symposium in Seattle Washington with Dr.Lucy Miller and the SPD Foundation on the latest research on SPD (http://www.spdfoundation.net/symposiumseattle/index.html).

October is National Sensory Awareness Month. For all of you wanting to do more to get the word out on SPD, check S.I. Focus magazine. Many years ago, Kathleen Morris created a National Sensory Awareness Day, then a week and now the last couple of years, thanks to Kathleen, it has become a month. This link will give you a free package of information delivered through the mail.  http://www.sifocus.com/sensoryawareness.html

Our board is making some changes, including continue on-going revisions to our website. We thank you for your patience as we add more resources for all of you. SPD Canada will continue to be a web based organization, doing all we can to provide easy access to resources.

I encourage all of you to continue to log into our Facebook page. As always there are many resources listed, but unlike the web, the resources are there for only a short time. I would also encourage you to join Sensory Planet www.sensoryplanet.com. Carrie Fannin is the owner and operator of this social network for families, teachers, and other professionals. She has been a huge advocate for SPD, has been a member of the SPD Foundation for many years, and is such a strong resource for so many.

I did do some reading this summer – I read my first novel in 10 years! I can’t tell you what an absolute joy it was to read something that did not relate to SPD and brain research. I did, though, have a chance to find a great Canadian magazine. EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY has won numerous awards, and has so many wonderful resources. The cost of a 1 year subscription is what I spend in a month on coffee, and so incredibly valuable to parents, teachers and other professionals.  http://www.exceptionalfamily.ca

I wish all of you a smooth transition into a new school year. Enjoy the fall walks on crisp and crunchy leaves, and keep it simple.

Cheers

Lori Fankhanel