Unlocking Young Brains: Empowering Parents to Unlock the Potential in Neurodiverse Children
Details
Southern Alberta
The Idea
Every day, parents across Alberta struggle to support their children with ADHD, autism, or delays in developing their brain’s “management system,” also known as executive functioning skills. Often, these children are exceptionally intelligent but face challenges with time management, organization, focus, planning, and emotional regulation. Schools are stretched thin, resources are limited, and one-on-one executive functioning coaching can be costly, leaving families searching for affordable and effective ways to unlock their child’s potential.
Our project, Unlocking Young Brains: Empowering Parents to Support Neurodiverse Children at Home, will provide 13 families with free access to our research-based program, Brain Hub Academy at Home, along with two parent-focused education workshops.
The workshops will teach parents how to best support their child’s learning, behavior, and well-being, while also guiding them step by step on how to use the Brain Hub Academy platform at home. Parents will leave with tangible, everyday strategies they can use immediately. These are simple activities, tools, videos, and ideas that don’t require costly coaching or outside services to continue the support.
*Executive functioning skills are cognitive skills that are developmental in nature. They include skills such as focus, attention, planning, memory, organization, emotional regulation, and self-control. They are proven to be the foundation of long-term success.Research shows these skills predict academic achievement and lifelong well-being more strongly than IQ. In fact, for children with ADHD, executive skills can lag up to 30% behind their peers. By equipping parents with the knowledge and tools to strengthen these skills at home, we provide children with a sustainable path to succeed in school, in relationships, and in life.
Who Will Benefit?
This project will directly benefit 13 Alberta families who are raising children with ADHD, autism, learning differences, or developmental delays in executive functioning skills, the brain’s “management system” for focus, planning, memory, organization, and emotional regulation. These families are often caught in a difficult gap: schools are overextended and can’t provide the individualized support their children need, while one-on-one coaching or private therapies are prohibitively expensive. Parents are left feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to best help their child.
By providing these families with free access to Brain Hub Academy at Home along with two parent-focused workshops, we remove financial barriers and deliver both knowledge and tools. Parents will learn how to guide their children step by step, building confidence and reducing stress at home. The workshops also foster a sense of connection and reassurance: parents realize they are not alone, and that with small, practical changes, they can make a profound difference in their child’s success.
The children benefit most directly. With parent support and access to science-based strategies, they will be better equipped to handle homework, organize tasks, regulate emotions, and build resilience and most importantly, confidence in themselves. For children with ADHD, who may lag up to 30% behind their peers in executive functioning, this support can be transformative. We've seen evidence of this for over 13 years in practice.
The ripple effect extends further. Siblings and other children in the household naturally benefit as parents apply the same tools across the family. Teachers benefit as students show up more prepared and regulated, easing classroom challenges. Extended family members and peers also experience the positive impact of children who are calmer, more confident, and better equipped to learn and interact.
In total, while 13 families will be directly supported, we anticipate 50–60 children and caregivers will feel the impact. Beyond numbers, this project will seed lasting change: empowered parents often share what they learn with friends, school councils, and community groups, multiplying the benefit and normalizing support for neurodiverse children.
Ultimately, the project benefits the broader community by reducing stigma, fostering diversity and inclusion, and building a stronger network of parents who are equipped to help children reach their full potential.