Understanding Your Child's Special Education Needs

BEFORE KINDERGARTEN

If your child receives a clinical diagnosis before entering Kindergarten, contact the principal at your designated school to discuss Early Years programming options.

DURING SCHOOL

If your child is currently in school and having difficulty learning, understanding, communicating or behaving, the first step is to talk to your child’s teacher.

Make an appointment

Make an appointment with your child’s teacher to discuss your child’s needs. The teacher is responsible for making any necessary changes to support your child’s learning, which could include bringing in Division consultants for specialized consultations and assessments.

Consultations and assessments

Through consultations and assessments, Division consultants help identify a student’s special education needs and ways to deliver or improve programming in the classroom.

They provide services in the areas of:

• adapted physical education
• education audiology
• assistive technology for learning
• educational and/or behavioural programming
• Kindergarten teacher support
• physical therapy
• occupational therapy
• speech language pathology
• reading
• social work or family liaison
• school psychology

Parental consent may be required when consultants provide direct support for an individual student. 

Special Education programming and inclusive learning

To discover how we can support your child’s special education needs:

• understand our approach to inclusive learning
• learn about Early Years and special education needs programming