In this episode, ASCY’s Nancy Baverstock is joined by colleague and long‑time collaborator Anna Minnitti, RECE, and pedagogical leader at Little Peoples Daycare in Hamilton, for a thoughtful conversation about transforming staff meetings into intentional, meaningful spaces for connection, collaboration, and reflective practice.

Together, they explore how shifting away from checklist‑driven meetings and moving towards purposeful “gathering times” can strengthen relationships, elevate educator voices, and align teams around shared values and vision. Drawing from years of experience, they discuss practical ways leaders can create meetings that feel respectful, engaging, and relevant, spaces where educators feel seen, heard, and valued.

This conversation invites listeners to pause and reflect on an important question: Why do we gather? And how can we ensure our time together truly supports growth, wellbeing, and professional learning?

If you’re interested in further support, be sure to explore ASCY’s Stepping Side by Side modules, connect with your ASCY PLC for more guidance and resources.

In this episode, ASCY’s Nicole Colterman is joined by Aaron Bailey, Aaron is a certified ADHD Life Coach, educator, and advocate with both professional and lived experience in ADHD and neurodiversity. With over a decade of work across education, mental health, and coaching, including running his own practice, Aaron brings deep insight and practical support to the ADHD community

Together, Nicole and Aaron explore what ADHD truly is: a neurodevelopmental difference, not a behavioural choice or a character flaw. Aaron clearly explains how differences in brain chemistry, particularly dopamine, impact attention regulation, impulsivity, emotional expression, time perception, working memory, and executive functioning. The conversation reframes behaviour as communication, encouraging educators and caregivers to shift from asking “what’s wrong?” to “what’s happening in the brain?”

Aaron also shares practical, developmentally appropriate strategies that support children in early learning settings, such as visual supports, movement, predictability, novelty, interest‑based approaches, and reducing cognitive load. Many of these approaches benefit all children, which is especially important given that ADHD is often undiagnosed in the early years and children may not yet have the language to describe their needs.

This episode is a strengths‑based, compassionate conversation that reminds us: when children struggle, it’s not because they won’t, it’s because they can’t yet. With understanding, empathy, and brain‑based support, we can remove barriers and help children show us who they really are.

Guest Bio: Aaron Bailey is a certified ADHD Life Coach with advanced training from the ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA). He holds a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coaching Federation (ICF), as well as his Professional Certified ADHD Coach (PCAC) designation from the Professional Association for ADHD Coaches.

Aaron also holds a Diploma in Child and Youth Services and a Bachelor of Human Services. Over the past decade, he has worked extensively in the ADHD, learning disabilities, and mental health field, including roles at Queen’s University, as an Educational Assistant in the Yukon, and as the owner of his own coaching and education‑based practice.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• ADHDfolk on social media: @ADHDfolk
  Created by Aaron Bailey, ADHDfolk shares strengths‑based, educational content on ADHD, brain chemistry, motivation, executive functioning, and everyday strategies.
  
• ADHDfolk YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@ADHDFolk
  Short, accessible videos that explore ADHD through neuroscience, lived experience, humour, and practical supports.
  
  

In this episode, ASCY’s Sue Lepore is joined by Dr. Peter Rosenbaum, internationally respected pediatrician, researcher, educator, and co‑founder of the CanChild Centre for Childhood‑Onset Disability Research at McMaster University. For over five decades, Dr. Rosenbaum has been a leading voice in childhood disability research, shaping innovative ways of understanding children’s development. His most influential contribution, the F‑words in Childhood Disability, has become a globally used strengths‑based framework, translated into more than 35 languages and downloaded over 100,000 times. In 2025, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for his lifetime of contributions.

Joining him is Elizabeth Chambers, a certified teacher, caregiver, and strong advocate for family‑centred, strengths‑based practice. Elizabeth brings both professional expertise and meaningful lived experience supporting aging parents and a medically complex child. Her insights add depth, compassion, and real‑world connection to this conversation.

Together, Dr. Rosenbaum and Elizabeth explore the six F‑words, function, family, fitness, fun, friends, and future, and how these concepts help us see and support “the whole child.” Through stories, examples, and reflection, they discuss how the F‑words shift our focus from deficits to strengths, from limitations to possibilities, and from “fixing” children to truly partnering with them and their families. They highlight the importance of inclusive environments, family partnerships, and supporting children in ways that honour their interests, relationships, and unique ways of being.

About Dr. Peter Rosenbaum
Dr. Rosenbaum joined McMaster’s Department of Paediatrics in 1973 and co‑founded CanChild in 1989. His career has focused on child functioning, family wellbeing, service delivery, the language used in childhood disability, and communicating complex ideas in accessible ways. His and CanChild’s work on the F‑words continues to influence research, practice, and family engagement around the world.

About Elizabeth Chambers
Elizabeth is a teacher, caregiver, and advocate based in the Niagara Region. As part of the “club sandwich” generation, she supports both her children and aging parents, including caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s and her medically complex son. Her work spans research, advocacy, consulting, and international collaboration. She serves as a Parent Partner and Co‑Principal Investigator on several projects, is part of the ENVISAGE leadership team, and is an associate member of CanChild. She also writes at https://www.lightkeeperlife.com/

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• CanChild F‑Words Hub
  https://canchild.ca/research-in-practice/f-words-in-childhood-disability/
• Original F‑Words Article (2011)
  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01338.x
• Perspectives Video & Related Resources
  https://canchild.ca/research-in-practice/approaches-to-disability/
• Free F‑Words Online Training Program
  https://canchild-fwords.ca/