The Most Important Thing That’s Probably Missing From Your Backyard
About Nicole Apelian, Ph.D
I am a mother, an herbalist, a survival skills instructor, and a biologist. I graduated with a degree in Biology from McGill University and further developed my herbal skills in the wilds of the Kalahari. I lived there for years with one of the oldest cultures on Earth, the San Bushmen. The San still live off what the land provides in terms of food and medicine, and many of them live well to a ripe old age without ever taking pills or seeing the inside of a hospital.
But the thing that got me deeply involved with plant medicine, was my own disease.
When I was just 29 years old, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. MS is an incurable autoimmune condition that makes your own immune system attack the brain and spinal cord. I was in constant agony, most of the times in a wheelchair.
The Western treatment prescribed by my doctors didn’t provide much relief. For the last 20 years, I’ve been managing my MS using the natural remedies that I grow myself in my backyard. I went from being pushed in a wheelchair to being healthy and fully alive. So much so that in 2015 I survived for 57 days straight in the wild on the History Channel’s TV show Alone.
I turn to my small backyard pharmacy whenever I’m in pain, catch a cold, have fever, keep a wound from getting infected, and so on. I haven’t stepped foot in a pharmacy in a very long time. I have all I need here in my backyard for me and my two kids.
A Complete Natural Pharmacy in Your Backyard
I made this Medicinal Garden Kit because I wanted to empower other people to take their health into their own hands, just as I did.
I think everyone should have a medicinal garden in their backyard. I see no reason to take something made in lab, when you can first try a natural remedy you grow at home. You can easily go and pick the remedy you need at any time. Your backyard pharmacy will be there for you even in times of crisis when regular pharmacies might be closed or looted.
Imagine stepping into your backyard and looking at your new colourful medicinal garden. Your backyard will smell of fresh lavender and chamomile.
You can pick any of these medicinal plants and turn it into the remedy you need.
I’ve gathered all the seeds for 10 herbs, inside the Medicinal Garden Kit. All these seeds have been handpicked from the very best plants, as I wanted nothing less than premium quality seeds.
With your seeds kit, you’ll also receive a FREE copy of Herbal Medicinal Guide: From Seeds to Remedies. This guide will show you how to turn these 10 plants into tinctures, ointments, salves, poultices, decoctions, infusions, essential oils —all in minute detail so you can follow our guide even if you’ve never made an herbal medicine in your life.
The 10 Medicinal Plants You’ll Have in Your Backyard:
Chicory – The Painkilling Plant You Should Grow in Your Backyard
This is the wild plant that Native Americans used to look for more than any other. They’d harvest and use chicory to make a natural painkilling extract for a wide range of physical discomforts, especially stiff and achy joints. And so can you! The root is rich in chicoric acid (CA), a plant compound with potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties but no risk of addiction. If our pharmacies ever run dry, having even a small patch of chicory growing in your own backyard will provide relief.
Add 1 Tbsp of ground chicory root to your coffee or tea. It’s a prebiotic and natural laxative that will help move things along and regulate your bowels.
Chicory is a very good soil builder in your garden, pulling nutrients up from deeper in the soil with its long taproot and then returning them to the surface when it dies back.
Chicory Salve for Pain Relief, Chicory Coffee for Better Digestion, a Decoction for Adrenal Fatigue, Chicory Infusion for Sinuses, Anti-Fungal Poultice, Liver Protection Tincture
Yarrow – The Backyard Wound Healer
You always want to have a quick and reliable way to stop a wound from bleeding and help prevent infection. Yarrow does both, and it really saved my knuckle. On day 42 of Alone, I accidentally cut my hand while gutting a fish. The wound was very deep and most likely would have gotten infected since I had no antibiotics with me.
Luckily, I found some yarrow and wrapped it around the wound. The bleeding stopped in minutes, and my wound healed so well that now there’s barely a scar left. Since then, I always carry a pouch of dried yarrow with me, just in case. A yarrow tincture, when applied to your skin, acts as a natural and effective way to repel mosquitos and other insects.
If you ever get a toothache, try chewing on a fresh yarrow leaf as it will numb the area and provide needed relief.
The beautiful yarrow flowers attract beneficial insects like bees and ladybugs, which eat aphids and other pests and also help pollinate your plants.
Infused Yarrow Oil for Swelling and Varicose Veins; Stop Bleeding Poultice; Yarrow Tincture for Burns, Cuts, Bruises, and Insect Bites; Yarrow Salve for Old Scars; Yarrow Elixir for Menstrual Cramps and Heartburn; Yarrow Tea for Digestive Upsets
California Poppy – Better Than Sleeping Pills
California poppy helps support a restorative, deep sleep like we enjoyed as children, when falling and staying asleep for at least eight hours each night were both effortless. Why risk the addiction of prescription sleeping pills when you can make your own Sleep Tea from this plant?
I usually drink it before bed and then doze off soon after, while I’m reading or watching TV. You could not wake me up easily; my kids have tried a few times. Now, if your bout of insomnia is of the more serious nature or you’re suffering from PTSD, just turn California poppy into a more concentrated sleep tincture. That should do it.
Gather any of these: leaves, flowers, or stems. Cut finely, add to a cup or pot, and pour hot water. Let it steep for about 10 minutes. Drink warm just before bed for deep, uninterrupted, and restful sleep that night.
With extremely high levels of pollen production, the poppy is an important food source for beneficial insects. It also needs very little water, so the other plants will get more.
Deep Sleep Tincture, Analgesic Salve, Sleep Tea Blend, California Poppy Decoction for Head Lice, California Poppy Vinegar, California Poppy Infusion
Marshmallow – The Most Powerful Plant for a Healthy Digestive System
When most people hear marshmallow, they tend to picture the white fluffy treat commonly roasted over a campfire. Traditionally these were made from the root of the marshmallow plant, a powerful medicinal herb that you’ll want to grow yourself at home. Its leaves and root are antibacterial, and most importantly, they contain a sap-like substance called mucilage.
As the marshmallow mucilage goes down through your digestive tract, it will coat your stomach, intestines, and colon with an additional protective layer, soothing inflammation it finds along the way. That’s why this tea also helps people with stomach ulcers and digestive disorders, such as heartburn, indigestion, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, or Crohn’s disease.
Pull out a few marshmallow roots, wash off the dirt, and add them to a glass jar or cup. Cover with ice-cold water and let the mucilage extract for a few hours. Drink for a soothing and restorative effect all along your digestive tract, from mouth to colon.
Painted lady butterflies are attracted to it, and native pollinators cover its blossoms all summer long.
Cold Root Infusion for Heartburn and Reflux, Stomach Tea, Marshmallow Poultice for Skin Repair, Decoction for Stubborn Coughs, Throat Syrup, Marshmallow Salve
Chamomile – The Natural Antibiotic
My grandmother used to grow chamomile in her garden. She would pick the flowers in early autumn, dry them on old newspapers, and store them in mason jars. She saw this plant as a real “heal-all.” If I’d get pinkeye, she’d put a warm compress dipped in chamomile tea over my irritated eyes. If my stomach hurt, she’d make me drink the tea, and I’d soon start to feel better.
It’s very soothing, and it helps relax your digestive muscles. You can also use this plant to make your own chamomile oil, which is still probably one of the best natural skin remedies out there. Researchers believe that’s because chamomile oil can penetrate even the deep layers of your skin, where true healing takes place.
Take a handful of dried or fresh chamomile leaves and add them to a warm bath. Step inside to relax your entire body, especially sore muscles, and aching joints.
Chamomile is known as “The Gardener’s Doctor” as it has the power to heal and enhance the growth of the plants around it.
Chamomile Compresses for Irritated Eyes, Stomach Tea, Infused Chamomile Oil for Wounds and Skin Ulcers, Chamomile Tincture for Sciatica and Rheumatic Pain, Eczema Salve, Chamomile Sitz Bath for Hemorrhoids
Evening Primrose – A Natural Remedy for Skin and Nerves
This plant is called evening primrose because its flowers open at sunset. Each bloom lasts for only one night. Our forefathers would use it to make a poultice for bruises, wounds, and skin eruptions. Turns out they were right. This plant contains two substances our skin needs but cannot produce on its own (gamma-linolenic acid and linolenic acid).
They’re also very important for the membranes of nerve cells, and that’s probably why more and more people with unresolved nerve pain are turning to this plant. Evening primrose can also help to balance out hormone levels. If you ever feel like you’re constantly fatigued, you gain weight inexplicably, or you’re simply unable to tolerate hot or cold temperatures like you used to, then you might be dealing with a hormonal imbalance.
Grab a leaf or root of the plant and crush it to make a poultice. Apply it directly to a wound or skin rash to promote healing.
This plant provides food and attracts numerous species of hawk moths, which tend to move pollen farther than bees or birds, as well as butterflies and bumblebees.
Infused Evening Primrose Oil for Skin and Nerves, Anti-Bruise Poultice of Native Americans, Evening Primrose Tea for Digestive Issues and Mood Swings, Revitalizing Body Balm, Lung Tonic, Cough and Sore Throat Mixture, Cold-Pressed Seed Oil
Lavender – The Perennial Anti-Inflammatory Herb
You’re probably familiar with how this aromatic plant can keep moths from dining on your winter wardrobe. But if you use it medicinally, it can offer so much more! A recent double-blind study concluded that lavender oil cuts down anxiety to the same extent as taking a 0.5 mg daily dose of Lorazepam, a popular anxiety drug.
A lavender tincture used alongside a regular antidepressant can help you recover from mild to moderate depression a lot faster and lower the chance for a relapse. And if you just rub a few drops of lavender oil on your scalp every day, it will improve blood flow, strengthen hair follicles, and even help with lost hair. That and the divine scent it has is why I like to mix it with my shampoo.
Gather some fresh lavender from your garden and put it in a small herb pouch. Place the pouch inside your sleeping pillow or under your mattress. It will ward off mosquitos and other insects and help you fall asleep faster.
Just as it banishes bugs from your closet, it also banishes pests from the garden. It’s also one of the best companion plants out there, helping many others reach their full potential. It attracts many species of butterflies, including painted ladies, woodland skippers, and tiger swallowtails.
Lavender Sleep Tincture; Lavender Tea for Anxiety; Lavender Oil for Fungal Infections, Acne, Dry and Blotchy Skin, and Psoriasis; Lavender Hair Mask; Lavender Salve for Chapped Lips, Cracked Cuticles, Rough Elbows, and Feet
Echinacea – The Most Powerful Immunity Plant You Should Grow
When it comes to our health, the immune system is king. A strong one might save you even if you’re very sick and have no medicines available. A weak immune system might not, even if you have all the best medicines and doctors by your side. There’s no better plant for taking care of your immune system than echinacea.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking that supplements bought at the health store can even compare with the natural medicines you can make from organic plants you grow yourself. That’s true for all plants but especially for echinacea, which has fallen prey to its own popularity. It is one of the most counterfeited natural supplements out there. So why risk a bad batch that will do little more than a placebo? Better to grow your own patch.
Dig up some echinacea roots and slice them rather thinly. Put them in a pot with water and let everything simmer for 30 minutes. Drink hot for an immune boost at the first sign of a cold or any other illness.
Echinacea helps keep plants moist and prevents weeds from spreading and taking over your backyard pharmacy.
Immune-Stimulating Echinacea Tincture, Antiseptic Mouthwash, Echinacea Tisane, Echinacea Oil for Inflammation, Anti-Germ Skin Salve, Root Decoction for Pains and Aches
Calendula – The Herb You Need to Keep Close During Dark Times
Before I ever came across calendula in my natural practice, I had heard about it from my grandfather. He was always working around the house, tinkering on his projects, and one day he accidentally cut his leg to the bone. Stubborn as he was, he refused to go see a doctor. He tied it with a thick cloth and just poured my grandmother’s calendula extract on it each time he would dress the wound. Believe it or not, it healed in weeks!
I later found out about other uses for this powerful backyard helper. I make a calendula salve to speed up healing and minimize scarring for wounds, scrapes, cuts, sores, burns, and scalds and to deal with all manner of rashes or insect bites. As a tea, calendula does something really unique and important. It moves lymphatic fluid and cleanses your lymphatic system from the mucky remnants of old infections and the metabolic waste we all accumulate over time. This is absolutely vital for continued good health and something no modern drug does, to the best of my knowledge.
During the Civil War, calendula flowers were packed directly into open wounds, and they were used by surgeons when dressing wounds to promote healing and prevent infection.
Calendula helps repel insect pests and benefits the soil by forming active relationships with soil fungi.
Calendula Flower Infused Oil for Most Skin Problems, Calendula Salve to Rub Over Wounds and Scars, Calendula Soak for Itches and Rashes, Calendula Tea for Sore Throat and Mouth Ulcers, Calming Calendula Spray for Burns, Tea for Irritated Eyes and Stomach, Protective Skin Lotion, Calendula Extract for Skin Ulcers and Eczema, Anti-Inflammatory Ice
Feverfew – Nature’s Aspirin for Fevers and Migraines
With feverfew in your backyard, you’ll always have a way to deal with a cold, lower a fever, or fight off migraines. This plant is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and people have used it to deal with inflamed and painful joints. Parthenolide seems to be the plant compound responsible for its medicinal power. The highest concentration of parthenolide is found in the flower heads and leaves, so the easiest way to use this plant is to chew them raw so they release the parthenolide flowing inside.
But it is not the most effective.
In the brochure, I’ll show you exactly how to make the Anti-Migraine Tincture from your backyard feverfew. A few drops in your coffee or tea should be enough for some headaches as well. You’ll also see how an extract from feverfew flowers can prove a potent pain reliever for articular and neuropathic pain.
Chew some of its leaves raw whenever you have a fever or feel a migraine attack is about to strike (very important to use before it does).
Feverfew repels pests, hides other plants from them, and also attracts beneficial insects such as hoverflies and tachinid flies to your garden.
Oil for Inflamed Joints, Natural Insect Repellant, Anti-Migraine Tincture, Salve for Eczema, Rosacea and Acne, Feverfew Tincture, Feverfew Febrifuge Tea, Feverfew Compress for Bruised Skin
What You’ll Find in Your Medicinal Garden Kit
Inside your Medicinal Garden Kit, you’ll find 10 smaller packages with each type of seed. In total you’ll get 2,409 high-quality, NON-GMO seeds packaged right here in the US.
Even if you’ve never planted anything before, you’ll have no trouble growing these 10 plants. You will find details on how to plant, grow, and harvest each one in the free Herbal Medicinal Guide: From Seeds to Remedies that you’ll receive with your Medicinal Garden Kit.
You cannot find these 10 seeds in one package anywhere else. Before I made it, I had been looking for something like this for a long, long time.
BUT, that doesn’t even matter, because you are investing in something much more important: your health! If you want to treat yourself naturally, than this is the medicinal garden you want to have in your backyard.
Don’t take your health for granted like I did. Do not wait for it to deteriorate, to do something about it. One day it might be too late. Click on the button below now to get this amazing medicinal garden in your backyard and start taking care of your health naturally.
Planting a medicinal herb garden will open a new exciting chapter in your life as you discover the healing power of plants. But even so, if you don’t want to plant them now, for any reason, you can keep the seeds for when you feel the time is right.
I know a few people who grabbed three Medicinal Garden Kits each, just to store them in case of a crisis that affects our medical system and the pharmaceutical chains. These Medicinal Garden Kits are perfect for people who want to be more self-reliant and for those who are preparing for the worst of times.
With your Medicinal Garden Kit, you’ll always have one reliable, safe, and completely free natural alternative within easy reach. All these healing plants are good companions for vegetables and fruit trees, but you can also plant them in the front yard as they are very beautiful.
Most of the medicinal herbs found in the kit are perennials that die in the winter and re-emerge in the spring or self-seeding annuals that become well-established after the first year.
So your medicinal garden will keep coming back year after year, without having to replant it. With the kit you are purchasing a lifelong backyard pharmacy.
365 Days Money-Back Guarantee
And because I have such faith in the Medicinal Garden Kit, it comes with a full 365 days money-back guarantee.
But my guess is you’ll never want a refund, because these seeds and the 10 plants they create will end up saving you A LOT more money in the long run than what you’re paying for them today.
So, click on the button below to get your medicinal garden kit, risk free!
I wish you the best on your journey to natural health.
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Skinstitut Holiday Gift Kits take the stress out of gifting
Toronto, October 31, 2024 – Beauty gifts are at the top of holiday wish lists this year, and Laser Clinics Canada, a leader in advanced beauty treatments and skincare, is taking the pressure out of seasonal shopping. Today, Laser Clincs Canada announces the arrival of its 2024 Holiday Gift Kits, courtesy of Skinstitut, the exclusive skincare line of Laser Clinics Group.
In time for the busy shopping season, the limited-edition Holiday Gifts Kits are available in Laser Clinics locations in the GTA and Ottawa. Clinics are conveniently located in popular shopping centers, including Hillcrest Mall, Square One, CF Sherway Gardens, Scarborough Town Centre, Rideau Centre, Union Station and CF Markville. These limited-edition Kits are available on a first come, first served basis.
“These kits combine our best-selling products, bundled to address the most relevant skin concerns we’re seeing among our clients,” says Christina Ho, Senior Brand & LAM Manager at Laser Clinics Canada. “With several price points available, the kits offer excellent value and suit a variety of gift-giving needs, from those new to cosmeceuticals to those looking to level up their skincare routine. What’s more, these kits are priced with a savings of up to 33 per cent so gift givers can save during the holiday season.
There are two kits to select from, each designed to address key skin concerns and each with a unique theme — Brightening Basics and Hydration Heroes.
Brightening Basics is a mix of everyday essentials for glowing skin for all skin types. The bundle comes in a sleek pink, reusable case and includes three full-sized products: 200ml gentle cleanser, 50ml Moisture Defence (normal skin) and 30ml1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum. The Brightening Basics kit is available at $129, a saving of 33 per cent.
Hydration Heroes is a mix of hydration essentials and active heroes that cater to a wide variety of clients. A perfect stocking stuffer, this bundle includes four deluxe products: Moisture 15 15 ml Defence for normal skin, 10 ml 1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum, 10 ml Retinol Serum and 50 ml Expert Squalane Cleansing Oil. The kit retails at $59.
In addition to the 2024 Holiday Gifts Kits, gift givers can easily add a Laser Clinic Canada gift card to the mix. Offering flexibility, recipients can choose from a wide range of treatments offered by Laser Clinics Canada, or they can expand their collection of exclusive Skinstitut products.
Brightening Basics 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut, available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.
Hydration Heroes 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut – available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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The Canadian Paediatric Society says doctors should regularly screen children for reading difficulties and dyslexia, calling low literacy a “serious public health concern” that can increase the risk of other problems including anxiety, low self-esteem and behavioural issues, with lifelong consequences.
New guidance issued Wednesday says family doctors, nurses, pediatricians and other medical professionals who care for school-aged kids are in a unique position to help struggling readers access educational and specialty supports, noting that identifying problems early couldhelp kids sooner — when it’s more effective — as well as reveal other possible learning or developmental issues.
The 10 recommendations include regular screening for kids aged four to seven, especially if they belong to groups at higher risk of low literacy, including newcomers to Canada, racialized Canadians and Indigenous Peoples. The society says this can be done in a two-to-three-minute office-based assessment.
Other tips encourage doctors to look for conditions often seen among poor readers such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; to advocate for early literacy training for pediatric and family medicine residents; to liaise with schools on behalf of families seeking help; and to push provincial and territorial education ministries to integrate evidence-based phonics instruction into curriculums, starting in kindergarten.
Dr. Scott McLeod, one of the authors and chair of the society’s mental health and developmental disabilities committee, said a key goal is to catch kids who may be falling through the cracks and to better connect families to resources, including quicker targeted help from schools.
“Collaboration in this area is so key because we need to move away from the silos of: everything educational must exist within the educational portfolio,” McLeod said in an interview from Calgary, where he is a developmental pediatrician at Alberta Children’s Hospital.
“Reading, yes, it’s education, but it’s also health because we know that literacy impacts health. So I think that a statement like this opens the window to say: Yes, parents can come to their health-care provider to get advice, get recommendations, hopefully start a collaboration with school teachers.”
McLeod noted that pediatricians already look for signs of low literacy in young children by way of a commonly used tool known as the Rourke Baby Record, which offers a checklist of key topics, such as nutrition and developmental benchmarks, to cover in a well-child appointment.
But he said questions about reading could be “a standing item” in checkups and he hoped the society’s statement to medical professionals who care for children “enhances their confidence in being a strong advocate for the child” while spurring partnerships with others involved in a child’s life such as teachers and psychologists.
The guidance said pediatricians also play a key role in detecting and monitoring conditions that often coexist with difficulty reading such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, but McLeod noted that getting such specific diagnoses typically involves a referral to a specialist, during which time a child continues to struggle.
He also acknowledged that some schools can be slow to act without a specific diagnosis from a specialist, and even then a child may end up on a wait list for school interventions.
“Evidence-based reading instruction shouldn’t have to wait for some of that access to specialized assessments to occur,” he said.
“My hope is that (by) having an existing statement or document written by the Canadian Paediatric Society … we’re able to skip a few steps or have some of the early interventions present,” he said.
McLeod added that obtaining specific assessments from medical specialists is “definitely beneficial and advantageous” to know where a child is at, “but having that sort of clear, thorough assessment shouldn’t be a barrier to intervention starting.”
McLeod said the society was partly spurred to act by 2022’s “Right to Read Inquiry Report” from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which made 157 recommendations to address inequities related to reading instruction in that province.
He called the new guidelines “a big reminder” to pediatric providers, family doctors, school teachers and psychologists of the importance of literacy.
“Early identification of reading difficulty can truly change the trajectory of a child’s life.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
