The Portia Learning Centre

We're excited to partner with TalkInc Speech, Language, & Voice Therapy to offer social skills groups at our Nepean location this summer.

Choose the level that's right for your child:

Level 1 (45 min, $70/session):
✨ Turn taking & greeting routines
✨ Identifying emotions
✨ Functional requesting
✨ Engaging in shared activities

Level 2 (60 min, $55/session):
✨ Sustaining conversations & perspective taking
✨ Reading non-verbal cues
✨ Inferencing & summarizing
✨ Navigating peer interactions

Both Programs:
📅 Wednesdays, July 6 - August 24, 2026 (8 weeks)
👥 Small groups (4 children max)
🏢 SLP created & overseen
📝 Written summary provided to families

Ready to help your child connect and grow their social skills? Email [email protected] to register today.

⏰ Summer Sessions Enrollment Ending Soon

The PALM Summer Program at our Whitby location is filling up fast!

8 weeks of meaningful life skills training on Fridays, 9:00-4:00.

Ages 10-18 in a small group setting.

Don't wait - spaces are limited! Book your free screening today to see if PALM is the right fit for your child.

👉 https://www.portialearning.com/services/life-skills-program/palm-aba-summer-program/

🌸 Last Month's Favourites from Ottawa East 🦋

Our team at Ottawa East had an amazing April filled with creative learning and fun activities.

🐛 Spring Insect Crafts - These adorable craft sets helped children practice following instructions while strengthening fine motor skills through pincer grasp movements with pipe cleaners.

🏠 Dollhouse Play - This beautiful dollhouse became a hub for sociodramatic play while teaching prepositions, object identification, and pronouns through natural play.

💙 Sensory Regulation Bags - Our DIY sensory bags filled with gel, glitter, and pom-poms provided perfect self-regulation tools that families can easily recreate at home.

Each activity shows how we blend learning with joy, making every moment meaningful for our clients. 💙

💡 "My child is doing well in school, but still needs help with everyday life skills."

Sound familiar? You're not alone!

Traditional classrooms often don't teach the crucial life skills teens need for independence. That's where our Whitby PALM Summer Program comes in.

✨ Small groups (4-6 participants)
✨ Structured, supportive environment
✨ Hands-on learning approach
✨ RBA supervision and support

Ready to help your teen grow their independence this summer?

Sign up today: https://www.portialearning.com/services/life-skills-program/palm-aba-summer-program/

Look at this beautiful Birthday Garden wall that brightens our Ottawa East location 🌸

Each month is represented by a unique, colourful flower.

From January roses to December poinsettias, this cheerful display creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere while teaching:
✨ Months of the year
✨ Seasonal awareness
✨ Community celebration
✨ Visual learning through nature themes

It's these special touches that make our centres feel like home and create joyful learning environments for everyone! 💙

Yigit Ali is a Supervised Clinical Lead at the Portia Learning Centre’s Kanata location.

He graduated from Carleton University in 2025 with a degree in Psychology and brings a strong passion for mental health, neurodiversity, and culturally responsive care to his work.

During his undergraduate studies, Yigit Ali completed an honours thesis examining how immigrant parents conceptualize autism. He emphasized the ways cultural beliefs, stigma, and systemic barriers shape families’ experiences and access to care.

His research has since been presented at academic conferences and published in the Carleton Undergraduate Journal of Science.

Yigit Ali brings this same dedication into his role at Portia, where he works closely with children and their families through inclusive and developmentally informed care.

He is deeply committed to equity in service delivery and to helping every child reach their fullest potential.

🌟 Sensory Learning Fun at Whitby 🌟

Our sensory bins are where learning comes alive through play.

Check out these amazing activities happening at our Whitby location:

🚜 Farm Sensory Bin - Feed the farm animals while practicing fine motor skills and imaginative play

🔢 Numbers Sensory Bin - Harvest carrots and sort them by numbers 1-5, combining math concepts with hands-on exploration

🌈 Colour Sorting Sensory Bin - Use tongs to sort colourful pom-poms by colour, building sorting skills and hand strength

These activities aren't just fun - they're building essential skills like:
✨ Fine motor development
✨ Colour and number recognition
✨ Sorting and categorization
✨ Following directions
✨ Sensory exploration

Learning through play is what we do best 💙

Happy Mother's Day 💐

Our little ones at our Whitby location have been busy creating these beautiful flower pots to celebrate all the amazing moms in their lives.

To all the incredible mothers in our Portia family - thank you for your love, patience, and dedication.

You are the sunshine that helps your children bloom every day! 🌸

🏠 Building Independence Through Our Summer Program - Sign Up Today!

Our Whitby summer program focuses on essential life skills across five key areas:

🛁 Personal Care - Hygiene and self-care routines
🧺 Household Skills - Laundry, organization, and cleaning
🍳 Meal Preparation - Kitchen safety and basic cooking
🚨 Safety & Awareness - Emergency skills and situational awareness
💬 Communication & Independence - Real-life problem-solving

These aren't just activities - they're building blocks for lifelong independence!

Sign up - spots are filling up fast: https://www.portialearning.com/services/life-skills-program/palm-aba-summer-program/

🏰 Fort Building Fun at Nepean 🌈

Our colourful soft blocks aren't just for stacking - they're perfect for creating cozy NET (Natural Environment Teaching) forts!

This creative setup becomes a magical learning space where children can:
✨ Request to go "in" and "out"
✨ Practice spatial concepts (over, under, inside)
✨ Build communication skills naturally
✨ Engage in imaginative play
✨ Work on turn-taking and sharing space

When learning feels like an adventure, amazing things happen. This is what naturalistic ABA looks like - turning everyday play into meaningful learning opportunities.