Back to School Series 2025 Part 1

September 8, 2024 - Autism Canada's Family Support Manager Dominique Chabot hosts a conversation with educator/author Kara Dymond and Autism Canada’s Inclusion & Accessibility Lead Seth Leroux. Drawing on professional expertise and lived experience, they share concrete strategies to help caregivers and students navigate back-to-school transitions—from new schedules and sensory overwhelm to self-advocacy, friendships, homework, and social communication. What you’ll learn

• Routines & prep before school starts (visits, locker practice, route mapping, bedtime reset)

• Sensory supports for louder, busier schools (Loops/ear defenders, break plans, under- vs. over-stimulation)

• Decompression after school and why “alone time” can be protective

• Building school partnerships that work

• Encouraging independence without pulling supports (scaffolding, “chunk & check-in,” body-doubling)

• Homework & executive function tools (Pomodoro, Goblin Tools app, time estimates)

• Group work realities + alternatives; practicing collaboration skills at home (games, role-play, Lego tasks)

• Spotting stress, burnout, and masking—and responding early

• Self-advocacy letters and accommodation updates for junior high/high school

• Pragmatic speech: teaching the when/how of conversation, turn-taking, and cultural norms