Jump to Success Now- Tutoring/ Disability Advocate

Good Morning Everyone!

I have slowly started coming back to my 2nd book now!

My goal is to write a novel based similar to “chicken soup for the soul” where each chapter is about children/ families living with special needs. I am hoping to finish the novel by 2024/2025.

I am looking for parents or adults who would love to share their story of their disability, the outcomes, how they cope, and what they would like to share to our society and how to bring more awareness in our community. If this seems interesting to you please send me a message and I can share more information.

Thank you so much for your time in reading my post!❤️

If you know any families who may be in need, please spread the word about our tiny but mighty MindWare Academy, for students with learning disabilities, social skills challenges, or students in need of regulation support. 💛

Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderful moms!🌺

You should never be embarrassed to take your children shopping if they have a disability. Rather, take it as this is the best opportunity to teach your child about responsibility. Always know that If you need to teach your child any life skills, the best place would be in a public setting.

Grocery stores are the best place to teach the following

- Learning to grab items (fine motor skills)
- counting the items when putting them in bags
- Reading and understanding what is said on the items you purchase
- Being patient in waiting for your turn
- Following instructions
- Being helpful in putting things away
- Sorting out the items at the cash machine
- Communication
- Understanding money when paying at the cash

Son with ADHD
In the year 2020 when my son was 8 years old, is when we found out he also has ADHD. I was working under the assumption that he had ADHD since he was in JK due to his behavior, his teachers would always tell me he could not focus in class, and he couldn’t sit still. I know my son is a very bright student, but we have to motivate him and encourage him to complete his work, and give him lots of positive attention. At the moment, the help we are getting for our son is providing him with a social worker to help in the school, and puting him in a group setting where they provide fun activities for boys with ADHD, and so far it's been really helpful. My son loves going here and now he has tons of friends who not only enjoy his companionship but also understand him for who he is. I am so thankful that both my children have such a healthy relationship where they both care for each other.

Message from mom
My life with 2 children with ADHD is actually wonderful. I don't have any concerns about raising them. However, the concern and stress I do have are finding the help my children need. I had to do my own studies and read tons of books in order to understand what ADHD is, and how I can help. I had to call organizations and therapists to find help for my children, and these were not quick calls at all. Each call took hours, weeks, and even months to finalize because I had to make sure these were the right resources for my children, and most importantly my husband and I had to make sure we had the finances to pay for these expensive services. My husband and I had so many struggles in figuring out how to help our children, mainly when it came to the financial part of everything since we have a family of 6 to feed and provide for. All I can say to any other families who are going through this is, that you have to advocate for your children and find the help they need. You have to call your child's teachers sometimes numerous times, research and find your own resources, and most importantly get involved with the community so that you can find the right help for your children.

Service Dog

Service dogs are working dogs that are trained to perform tasks for disabled children and adults. Some of the main service dogs are:
Guide dogs
Autism service dogs
Seizure alert dogs
Hearing dogs
Mobility dogs

Our Son

We found out that our son Connor had Autism when he was at a very young age. He had a one-on-one EA when he was in school as well. Connor is a very bright child, but he had lots of anxiety and needed lots of emotional support. He had a difficult time going to school due to his emotions, and at home this caused him to not be able to sleep independently but rather with us at least till he was at the age of 9-10. When Connor was 9 years old we decided that having a service dog would be beneficial especially due to keeping him safe and protected since he was also a runner.

Lions Foundation

The mission of the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides (LFCDG) is to empower Canadians with disabilities to navigate their world with confidence and independence by providing Dog Guides at no cost to them and supporting each pair in their journey together. https://www.dogguides.com/index.html

When we contacted Lions Foundation, unfortunately, we had to be on a waitlist for about 2-3 years. Finally, when Connor was 11 years old we received a call that they were ready for us to come and meet our service dog. Xelda our pup was such a beauty and the sweetest little girl. Before we brought Xelda home, I had to go for training at Lions Foundation where I lived there for 10 days, and honestly if I had to write a review about them all I could say was, they took great care of us while being trained and taught us so patiently and answered all my questions without any hesitation. The staff was phenomenal, in training me to teach our dogs from walking, saying commands, and how to train them in parks and other outdoor settings. Connor came to visit his new puppy Xelda just before the training was complete, and right that insistence, he loved her dearly. Xelda our new puppy who was just 1 year of age had her graduation ceremony in honor of her hard work and happily came home with us that evening.

How Xelda Helps’s

The day we brought Xelda home, Connor automatically slept in his own room independently without any issues at all that exact night. We were so proud of him and just so amazed to see how well Xelda showed affection to Connor. When Connor, has his Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Xelda calmly goes in between his legs and lays down there, knowing that something is wrong with him. Another thing Xelda does to calm him down is sit close to him, and get Connor to rub her head or give her a pat and that will help Connor to take a deep breath. When Connor was in grades 7-8 he was selected to present a speech for Autism Awareness in front of his whole school and was selected to present at another school as well. I could not hold my emotions at all, knowing that my son who has anxiety, no friends, and was scared to go to school is now performing in front of strangers was absolutely a proud moment for me and my family. I have no words to express how much my son has changed in the last few years, but I can honestly say that my husband and I are absolutely proud of him for all his achievements no matter if they are big or small.

Message to Families

Another great thing I liked about The LionsFoundation, was that they do a home visit and can bring the dog with them to see if your child will be comfortable and if they like dogs before you plan on getting a service dog for your family. One of the techniques that they taught at the training that I really liked with Xelda but did not need to use on Connor since he was older now was if your child was a runner you would tie a belt around your child’s waist attached to the dog and when the child starts to run you would yell “HALT” and the dog would pull your child in letting them know that they needed to stop and are not allowed to run. These are some of the great tips I loved to share. Now, Connor is 16 years old and Xelda is 6 in dog years, and honestly, bringing her to our home was the best decision we as a family made for our son. Not only are we proud of who he is now as an adult, but we are glad to have a wonderful addition to our family as well.

Board games and other kids games are great tools to use not just for education purposes, but they will actually be helpful when it comes to these basic skills
- Taking turns
- Sharing
- Patience
- Concentration
- Following instructions
- Memory
- Organization
- Patterning

My Family
I am a mother to 4 beautiful children. I have a daughter who is 13, a son who is 8, and twins who are 4. Having a big family is wonderful, but having 2 of my oldest children with ADHD was not something I imagined. I thought I knew what ADHD was but it’s only through experiencing it through my children’s eyes that I have finally come to understand the magnitude of it. And even though both my children are both neuro-diverse, they both behave, think and experience ADHD differently.

First Born
My daughter who is 13 has ADHD, a learning disability, and anxiety. She has always hated school beyond what the professionals thought was usual. She had (and still has) a lot of psychosomatic symptoms. She feels different from others and often feels misunderstood. I have done a lot of research and digging to find private services as well as publicly funded for her and for our family, such as cognitive behavior therapy and parenting support. My daughter has so much passion and talent, so I feel I’m on a quest to bring that out of her and help her live a full and enjoyable life. Picture pained by daughter

Plastic Easter eggs are wonderful to use when teaching. We put words in the eggs and then hide them like a scavenger hunt. After we find all the eggs we need to make sentences using only these words. This activity encourages the students to learn and it motivates them to complete the task that has been given.

SPINMEE was built in Acton Prospect Park in 2016. This was Canada’s first wheelchair accessible equipment for the public. We raised over $5000 by selling my children’s book to install this equipment. Thank you to our Mayor of Halton Hills and his team in making this dream come to reality!

Thank you so much Beverley for allowing me to interview you, and post about your son! You were such an amazing mother and gave your son a wonderful and happy life.

Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus

Spina Bifida affects the spine usually at birth. This is a defect called the neural tube defect (NTB). Spina Bifida could cause children to not be able to walk. History shows that some children use braces, crutches, wheelchairs, and have some assistance, whereas some kids might be paralyzed from the waist down permanently.

Hydrocephalus is when there is a buildup of fluids deep within the brain. This fluid causes the head to increase in size and puts pressure on the brain.

Jimmy at birth
Jimmy was born on May 31st, 1977. The day I delivered him I did not get to see him or even hold him. They rushed him to the Sick Kids Hospital. However, when I did see my son after I was discharged he was the ugliest and scariest baby I have ever met due to his big head. The doctors informed me that Jimmy was born with Hydrocephalus and had Spina Bifida. Jimmy had to have 23 surgeries in total in just under a year since the day he was born. Doctors had to use a shunt in order to drain his brain which was full of water, and they also had to close his back spine together. Jimmy was permanently paralyzed from the waist down and was using a wheelchair. He also had to use an intimate catheterization tube for him to clear his bladder.

Jimmy as a child
Jimmy went to school just like any child would. Jimmy loved coloring, I guess you can say art was one of his favorite subjects. Jimmy also loved people, in fact, his classmates accepted him for who he was and loved playing with him. Neighbors even brought their children to play and spend time with Jimmy as well. Even though Jimmy was in a wheelchair, this did not stop him from being an ordinary kid. He loved playing at parks with his sister who only showed him love and cares towards him and happily accepted him even in public with her own friends. Jimmy also loved animals, especially seeing them in person when he went to the park.

Jimmy’s mom mentioned one amazing scenario that happened when he was just 7 years old. Jimmy loved motorcycles. He loved seeing them in person, on TV, or even having toy motorcycles. One day when Jimmy was outside waiting for his school bus to arrive, he suddenly pushed himself across the street independently on his wheelchair to see the neighbor's motorcycle up close. His mom was absolutely amazed and just shocked to see how bravely he was able to push by himself. This also showed his mom that when her son has a passion for something he will do anything to achieve it!

Message from his mom
When I was a child, my brother Ron also had a disability. Therefore, when I had my son Jimmy and found out he was born with a disability I was not shocked or sad. In fact, I treated him the same way I did with my brother. I loved him unconditionally and I had no shame when it came to taking him outside in the public. My advice to all parents is that no matter what disability your child may have, always remember they are just the same as any other child. We need to be kind to our community, and most importantly children have feelings as well, and in order for them to be happy, we need to accept them for who they are.

James Arthur Baddeley
May 31st, 1977- January 30th,