Summer 2015 Newsletter Page 2

Executive Director’s Message

Without a doubt, 2015 was the most productive of the last three years for LDANB. With continued focus and attention to detail, it is my belief that LDANB will move ahead stronger still and be in a position to intervene even more effectively on behalf of
individuals with Learning Disabilities. Following is an overview of the major initiatives that LDANB undertook in 2015 and that will be the focus of our attention in the upcoming year.

Of most significance for 2015-2016, LDANB embarked on a new initiative with the objective of creating a Post-secondary Education Training & Labour (PETL) standard for the psychoeducational assessment of their clients at-risk for Learning Disabilities. More specifically, in collaboration with the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (LDAC), select NB psychologists and PETL practitioners, LDANB will help establish clear, consistent and uniform Diagnostic Criterion, Diagnostic Measures and a Reporting Format to be adopted by all psychologists contracted by PETL to perform the psychoeducational assessment of their case managed clients at-risk for learning disabilities. As part of this initiative LDANB, in collaboration, will also help establish the Method by which psychologists handle completed PETL client career plans. Finally, LDANB in collaboration will help develop the framework going forward for the Timely Management of PETL-Specific requests for psychoeducational assessments. Going beyond these 5 main objectives and as part of this pilot project, LDANB will also actively manage a total of 150 PETL-Specific psychoeducational assessments.

On a different front, LDANB will continue to deliver 2-Day Screening for Success (SFS) Training & Certification sessions to PETL practitioners and others to help them screen adults at-risk for Learning Disabilities. This year, LDANB in collaboration with LDAC updated the SFS Instrument and developed the SFS training materials in both English and French. In addition, LDANB successfully delivered 7 SFS training sessions and anticipates offering at least that many more such sessions by the end of 2015. In
collaboration with select PETL practitioners and LDAC, LDANB also anticipates moving ahead with a new initiative aimed at completing the final version of the updated SFS instrument, which is presently only available in pilot form.

Finally, LDANB is pleased to recognize its partnership with GNB Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD), to host the 2016 Symposium on Learning Disabilities, which it appears will be held on Friday May 6th at the Wu Conference Centre in
Fredericton. The focus and theme of this symposium will be “Literacy, Learning
Disabilities and Cognitive Strategies: Facilitating the Learning Process for all”. Planning for the symposium is now underway and more information will soon be available on our website (www.ldanb-taanb.ca). We were sold out early in 2013 and with an even larger symposium program; we expect the same to occur in May. Looking forward to seeing you there.

In closing, LDANB wishes to recognize TD Bank Group for their financial support of our Barton Specialized Literacy Program. Because of their support, this new literacy
initiative will move ahead as planned and we are excited to offer this specialized literacy service at minimal to no cost to both adults and youth with reading disabilities or reading difficulties.

Based on our progress over the last few years and anticipated activities going into 2016, it is certainly a pleasure for me to be part of the association at this time and I look
forward to diving into these new initiatives … following a nice summer break.

Have a great summer!

André Deschênes, Executive Director

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