.avif)
.png)
Join our free virtual session designed to help parents, caregivers, and family members of children and youth with disabilities prepare for the upcoming school year. Learn about Alberta's education system, how to advocate for your child's needs, and where to find school and community supports. Whether your child is starting school for the first time or returning for a new year, this session will provide practical information, helpful resources, and strategies to help you feel informed and confident. You'll also have the opportunity to learn about available accommodations, ask questions, and connect with supports that can help your family throughout the school year.
This session is for parents, caregivers, and family members of children and youth with disabilities living in Alberta.
Marizabel Forno is a Registered Psychologist who works with children, adolescents, adults, andfamilies. Her work focuses on understanding how attention, learning, emotions, behaviour, andindividual differences interact, with particular experience supporting anxiety, emotionalregulation, executive functioning, learning, and neurodevelopmental differences.
Marizabel takes a collaborative, strengths-based approach, with an emphasis on understandingeach person’s unique experiences and finding strategies that fit naturally within their everydaylives. She enjoys working alongside children, families, and school teams to build a sharedunderstanding of a child’s needs, recognize their strengths, and support them in feeling moreconfident and capable at home, at school, and in their communities.
With a background in sport, Marizabel also has a particular interest in performance psychology,resilience, motivation, and managing pressure. She brings this perspective into her work withchildren and youth, helping them understand themselves, build on their strengths, and navigatethe challenges that come with growing, learning, and finding their place in the world.
Julie Stockdale is a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist with over 15 years of experience supporting children, youth, and their families. She holds a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Alberta and is a registered Speech-Language Pathologist in Alberta and British Columbia, as well as an ASHA-certified Speech-Language Pathologist (CCC-SLP).
Julie has extensive experience working with children with a wide range of speech, language, social communication, and developmental needs, including autistic children and children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Her work focuses not only on building communication skills, but also on equipping parents, caregivers, educators, and support teams with practical strategies that can be carried over into everyday environments.
Through her private practice and her work as The Speech Therapist Mom, Julie is passionate about making evidence-based speech and language strategies practical and accessible for families and helping children become more confident and successful communicators at home, at school, and in their communities.