Our Approach

At Self-EDvocate, we take an empowerment approach to our assessment services.  First, we investigate our client’s learning differences. Then, we educate our clients and their parents on how their brain learns best. We also offer a follow-up session to help our clients self-advocate for their unique learning needs and help parents provide learning support in partnership with the school team.

We encourage our young adult clients to attend the educate and advocate sessions with a close family member. A knowledgeable support network helps foster your potential in school and in life.

Our Process

  • Investigate

    We complete a detailed assessment that involves:

    - File Review: Thorough review of school, developmental, and medical history

    - Interviews and Surveys: Conducted with our client, parents, and teachers

    - One-on-one Work: 2 to 4 in-person client sessions up to half a day each

    - Direct Observations: Observing behaviours and responses during the assessment

    We analyze information from the following areas:

    - Academics

    - Cognition

    - Social-Emotional wellbeing

    - Behaviour

    We can then determine whether the results indicate:

    - Learning Disorder

    - Intellectual Disorder

    - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

  • Educate

    We review the results with our clients and parents, to support understanding of the diagnosis, learning strengths, and challenges.

    We share evidence-based recommendations and services based on the results.

    Clients and parents may invite a teacher to review the results and recommendations with us.

    Young adult clients are encouraged to invite a close family member to the educate session.

  • Advocate

    As part of our service, we offer a follow-up virtual consult 4 weeks after receiving the report, where we might cover any of the following:

    - Individualized Education Plans, and ways to partner with the school to develop, implement, and monitor success of the plan.

    - Transition planning for high school or graduation, and ways to partner with the school to support a smooth transition.

    - Strategies to help our high school and young adult clients to self-advocate for their learning needs.

Hybrid Structure

We combine virtual and in-person components to reduce the stress of commuting for families.

  • We have a flexible virtual schedule that begins with a 60-90min virtual parent interview.

    We then schedule virtual time for parent and teacher surveys and teacher interviews to gather more details.

  • We do one-on-one work with our client for 2 to 4 sessions up to half a day each, depending on age, ability to attend to the tasks, concerns being investigated, and the kind of work we need to do that day.

    We minimize school absences by scheduling work sessions on weekdays and Saturdays.

    We review the report and recommendations in our 60-90min Educate session, which may be scheduled after school hours so that our clients may participate (as appropriate) together with their parents/guardians.