Student Services

Supporting Our Students

The Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School Student Services – a team of Counsellors, a Developmental Specialist, a Speech and Language Pathologists (SLP) and an Occupational Therapist (OT) all play an integral part of the education we provide.

Together, these specialists work with our educators to provide additional services to students, supporting our teachers and tutors in tailoring the education plan of individual students.

In alignment with our Universal Design for Learning approach, these professionals assess the educational environment and teaching practices providing guidance and recommendations to ensure our learning spaces are accessible to all students. Students may be referred to a member of the Student Services team for individual assessment, small-group instruction or short-term intervention.

Counsellors

Counsellors are dedicated to each developmental level. In our Junior Program through Middle School, counsellors teach Social Emotional Learning in the classroom. This practice provides an opportunity for counsellors to connect with all students, better understand the dynamics of the cohort and model wellness strategies for classroom teachers. In High School, counsellors may participate in Career Education, Academic Support Blocks, arrange speakers and collaborate with educators.

Our counselling team also provides social emotional support for students in small groups or on a 1:1 basis. Counselling services are a compliment to the student’s learning, counsellors focus on helping students navigate their educational journey and support their overall wellbeing.

Our counsellors are knowledgeable and connected to outside resources. For students requiring additional services, counsellors may provide guidance and direction for external support.

Developmental Specialist

Our Developmental Specialist supports a student’s educational team in managing behaviours that may be affecting a student’s academic or social learning.

Our Developmental Specialist works within the multidisciplinary team to provide a comprehensive approach to behaviour management that may include evaluation, observation, education, interventions or regular monitoring. They may work 1:1 with students to target specific behaviours in the areas of self-regulation, following routines, and integrating in a positive manner in the school community.

The Developmental Specialist is an engaged part of the KGMS community, building supportive relationships with students and working with the school, and students’ home team to provide skills and techniques to support the positive behaviour development of the student.

Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP)

Our SLP provides KGMS with expertise in communication development. They can accurately assess the key areas of development that are presenting challenges.

The SLP at KGMS works with the education team focusing on Social Communication. The use of verbal and non-verbal communication is tied to both academic and social development.

Social communication may include communicating for social purposes, social thinking, following cues in conversation, understanding the intentions of others, or communicating thoughts. Our SLP works within the classroom and provides professional development to our staff. The SLP also addresses articulation (speech-sound) development and disorders.

The SLP at KGMS may:

Occupational Therapist (OT)

Our OT supports students and programs through involvement in whole class and environmental support and incorporating individualized programming into daily class and tutor activities.

Services are tailored to the needs of the individual student or cohort and the educational program to ensure that our school environment is meeting the physical and sensory needs of our students.

Recommendations and implementation of dynamic seating, body regulation programming and regulation tools, liaising with external service providers and working with individual students are all part of the role of the OT at KGMS. While working with individuals, the OT helps students identify and learn to implement their individualized strategies for focus and attention.

The OT may work with small groups in collaboration with educators targeting developmental skills in areas such as motor development. To further investigate areas of impact on learning services, assessments may foucs on sensory processing, self-regulation and fine and gross motor, visual perception, self-care and life skills.