Small group skills development in focused areas such as executive functioning and social skills, reading, writing, leadership, transition support, and wellness.
COMING SOON (SPRING 2025)! Stay tuned to our Groups webpage and socials for more information about the re-launch of our WAVE Leadership (Welcoming All, Valuing Everyone) and SOAR (Some Assembly Required) programs.
For questions related to LDAO-C programming, contact our Programs Specialist, Shelley Holloway (shelley@ldaottawa.com).
Executive Function is the management system of the brain. It includes skills such as working memory, flexible thinking, and impulse control. Many students with learning disabilities have poor executive functioning skills as a result might struggle with goal setting, making a plan, and getting things done. Focusing, following directions, and controlling their emotions can also be a challenge.
Our 8-week program is offered in a small-group setting. Students will have the opportunity to set goals for themselves, and learn the skills they need to successfully complete school assignments and projects.
Dates and Times: Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 pm (starting October 16)
Location: LDAO-C Learning Centre, 1547 Merivale Road (Suite 450)
Skill Development and Practice Areas: organization, study skills, motivation, planning
Cost: $250.00, subsidies may be available
To register for Executive Functioning Program, complete our 2024-25 application form.
PALS is our phonemic awareness and early literacy skills program for children ages 5-7. This small-group program meets weekly for 8 weeks, in-person at our new LDAO-C Learning Centre. Sessions are 45 minutes in length and students will develop early reading skills using stories, arts, and games.
Dates and Times: Saturdays from 9:30-10:15 am (starting October 19)
Location: LDAO-C Learning Centre, 1547 Merivale Road (Suite 450)
Cost: $225.00
To register for PALS: Phonemic Awareness and Literacy, complete our 2024-25 application form.
Our eight week social skills program is designed to assist children diagnosed with a learning disability and/or ADHD who may struggle with social skills or avoid social contact in the development of social skills and social problem-solving strategies, while also promoting self-esteem. The program will work on skills such as recognizing healthy friendships, regulation when we feel big emotions, active listening, communication and shared interests, and the unspoken social rules of socialization and norms.
Often children with social difficulties might behave immaturely, be shy or timid in groups, frequently fight with peers, and display a lack of self-esteem. This small-group program is a safe environment to unravel all of these unspoken social rules and skills which can be challenging for our students. The program will be interactive and feature group discussion, play-based activities, team building games, and role-playing. In the final session, the program will wrap up with a fun party to practice all of the skills students have learned.
Dates and Times: Thursdays from 6:30-7:30 pm (starting October 10)
Location: LDAO-C Learning Centre, 1547 Merivale Road (Suite 450)
Cost: $225.00, subsidies may be available
To register for Social Skills Program, complete our 2024-25 application form.
This eight-week program is designed to help children with learning disabilities and/or ADHD in grades 6-8 who may struggle with expressive writing using group work, videos, and individual writing practice. We will start with learning how to write a sentence, and building from there, strategies such as mind mapping, to eventually write a paragraph. Tutors will work with students, using a step by step approach, building each week to gain confidence in their writing abilities.
While a computer is recommended, students can write on paper if they choose. Note: this course does not teach printing or handwriting
Dates and Times: Tuesdays from 6:30-7:30 pm (starting October 15)
Location: LDAO-C Learning Centre, 1547 Merivale Road (Suite 450)
Cost: $250.00
To register for Writing Skills Program, complete our 2024-25 application form.
This four-week program is designed to help students in grade ten with learning disabilities prepare for the upcoming Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) to be written in their school between either November 5 to December 3 or March 18 to April 15. The test measures whether students are meeting the minimum standard for literacy across all subjects up to the end of grade nine. Successful completion of the literacy test is a requirement to earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
Our qualified instructors will cover reading comprehension, and strategies for answering multiple choice, short answer, essay, and newspaper article long answer questions.
Dates and Times: Tuesdays from 6:30-8:00 pm (starting October 8 for Fall session; February 4 for Winter session)
Location: LDAO-C Learning Centre, 1547 Merivale Road (Suite 450)
Cost: $250.00
To register for Fall Session Literacy Test Prep Classes, complete our 2024 application form.
To register for Winter Session Literacy Test Prep Classes, complete our 2025 application form.
From pandemic isolation, to growing up in the age of social media, to being a young person in an ever changing society, understanding mental health from a young age is more important than ever.
This six-week program is designed to help youth ages 13-15 years old understand what mental health is, how to recognize when they feel dysregulated or not well, how to ask for help, and how to use strategies to feel more regulated.
Dates and Times: Tuesdays from 7:00-8:00 pm (starting November 5)
Location: LDAO-C Learning Centre, 1547 Merivale Road (Suite 450)
Cost: $225.00
To register for Mental Wellbeing and Mindfulness Program, complete our 2024 application form.