2026 Annual Conference
Embracing Change: Supporting ADHD & LD Across Life Transitions
- Saturday, October 17, 2026
- Courtyard by Marriott Calgary Airport Conference Centre
- For adults, partners, parents, caregivers, educators and community members
The Embracing Change Conference
Change is all around us and while we can’t anticipate everything that might come at us, there are transitions from one stage of life to another that we all recognize as foundational milestones across our lifespan. In those spaces, we grow into new roles and responsibilities, explore our talents and passions, and seek new understanding and connection.
When ADHD and LD are part of that evolution, the timelines and supports might be different, but the transitions, passions and hopes are the same. Let’s make it easier for ourselves and the ones we care about by looking ahead to what we can anticipate, prepare for and even dream about!
Join us for a full day of engaging expert speakers focusing on insights, best practices and real empowerment for adults and partners, parents and caregivers, educators, colleagues and anyone interested in the LD and ADHD world.
Register today for ADHD & LD insights, reframing and embracing change confidently!
Tickets are CDN$30, are available until Oct. 12 and non-refundable.
Note: This conference has been heavily subsidized to be as financially accessible as possible. However, if you would have been able to pay more, please consider adding a donation when purchasing your ticket. Thank you!
- Cost $30 per person
- Free Parking
- Nutritious Box Lunch Included GF, Vegan, Veg, & Halal available
- Coffee & Tea service in the morning
- All Day Water Stations Bring a water bottle.
- In-Person Event Sessions are not recorded.
- Resource Fair All day starting at 8 am.
Presenters
1A
"Finding Your Footing During Periods of Change and Life Transition"
Change or life transitions can feel overwhelming for anyone including individuals with ADHD or learning differences. Yet these experiences can also be powerful moments for growth. This engaging presentation explores how to cultivate self-compassion during times of change, helping you move forward with greater confidence and clarity.
Participants will learn practical strategies to reframe self-critical thoughts, manage overwhelm, and build supportive habits that align with how their brains work. The session also highlights how to recognize personal strengths, celebrate small wins, and draw on past resilience to navigate new challenges.
Whether you’re starting something new or adjusting to change, this session offers approachable tools to help you reconnect with your strengths—and find your footing with confidence. This presentation is geared toward individuals with ADHD or learning differences as well as to those supporting them.
Dr. Brenda McDermott
Dr. Brenda McDermott is an adjunct professor within the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. She holds a Master of Education and a PhD in Communications Studies. She brings her decades of experience in student and accessibility services to inform her research on how artificial intelligence tools can support equity in post-secondary classrooms. Brenda is co-presenting with Edwin Morales.
Edwin Morales
Edwin Morales, MSW, RSW, currently works as a Counsellor (Instructor) at the University of Calgary’s Student Wellness Services. Edwin provides one-on-one counselling to UCalgary students and is committed to promoting self-compassion and skill building for neurodiverse clients. Edwin is passionate about neurodiversity and feels honoured whenever he has a chance to contribute in some way to this area of knowledge or counselling practice.
Edwin is co-presenting with Dr. Brenda McDermott above in 1A: “Finding Your Footing During Periods of Change and Life Transition”.
1B
"Where Social Skills Come to Life: Applying the Camp Amicus Framework at Home"
Youth with ADHD and learning disabilities often have strong cognitive abilities but experience challenges with social communication, perspective-taking, and navigating group dynamics in real time.
Drawing on years of experience of developing and delivering inclusive summer camp and year-round recreation programs, especially at Camp Amicus geared solely for children and youth with LD/ADHD, this session will highlight how structured, high-engagement environments can be designed to support social skill development for neurodivergent youth. Skills such as reading social cues, understanding personal space, emotional regulation, group problem-solving, and flexible thinking are taught explicitly and reinforced continuously through play, collaboration, and shared experiences.
Participants will leave with adaptable strategies for structuring their own experiential environments whether at home, at a friend’s house, in community groups or in educational, therapeutic or youth-serving settings to better support social development for their neurodivergent learners.
Luke MacKinnon
Luke, (aka Yoda), has been working in the field of camping, outdoor education and recreation since 2014 and working with youth in a variety of roles since 2009. Since completing a Bachelor of Health and Physical Education with a specialization in Outdoor Adventure Leadership from Laurentian University, he has continued his professional development and is a trained SIVA (Supporting Individuals through Valued Attachments) instructor. He is also trained in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, ASSIST suicide prevention and NCCP coaching. In addition, he is a Wilderness First Responder, ACMG certified Top Rope Climbing Instructor and Paddle Canada level two certified whitewater canoeist. In 2020, Luke joined Foothills Academy and in 2022, he began his role as Manager of Camp Amicus and Recreation Programs. Luke has always had a passion for program development with specialized populations and makes it a priority to work with his team to ensure camp and recreation programs evolve to align with the changes in participants’ lives, interests and needs.
1C
"The Science of Learning Across the Tiers"
This session explores how the science of learning can be used to strengthen instruction across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 settings, especially for neurodivergent learners, including students with ADHD. We will unpack high-impact strategies such as retrieval practice, spaced practice, interleaving, and explicit instruction, and examine why these approaches are particularly supportive for attention, memory, and long-term learning.
Through practical, real-world examples, attendees will see how these strategies can be embedded into everyday learning, not as add-ons but as essential practices that strengthen attention, memory, and understanding. From simple retrieval routines and cumulative review to clear modeling and guided practice, this session focuses on what works, why it works, and how to apply it across a range of learning environments.
Participants will leave with clear, actionable strategies to support learning, reduce cognitive overload, and help all learners, children and adults alike, engage more deeply, retain information, and apply their knowledge with confidence.
Eryn Coughlin
Literacy Specialist, Rundle Schools
Eryn is an experienced educator with nearly 20 years in public and private education. She holds an M.Ed. in Reading Development and Instruction from Memorial University and is the founder of Sounds Apart Literacy Education, an intervention clinic for children with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. As the current Literacy Specialist at Rundle Schools, she supports teachers in delivering structured, evidence-based literacy instruction across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 settings. Eryn is co-presenting with Nicole Jordan.
Nicole Jordan
Head of Academics, Rundle Schools
Nicole has been part of the Rundle community for over 18 years, beginning as a senior high science teacher at Rundle Academy. Throughout her career, she has been a strong advocate for neurodiverse students. With a graduate degree in inclusive education and neuroscience, Nicole has led teachers in delivering evidence-informed, personalized instruction across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 settings.
Nicole is co-presenting with Eryn Coughlin above in 1C: “The Science of Learning Across the Tiers”.
2A
"Reclaim Your Time: Flexible Structure for Real-Life Impact"
Many neurodivergent adults thrive in structured settings — yet struggle to translate that success into their personal lives. When structure disappears, things can feel much harder. Evenings, weekends, and time off may become unexpectedly draining, with time slipping away through avoidance, doom scrolling, or decision paralysis.
If unstructured time leaves you, or someone you care about, feeling stuck, depleted, or disconnected from what matters most, you’re not alone.
This session explores why transitioning into unstructured time can feel so challenging and offers practical, neuroaffirming strategies that can help. You’ll leave with tools to create a flexible, personalized structure—helping you reconnect with your energy, relationships, hobbies, and a greater sense of meaning beyond the workday.
Rhiannon Carter
Rhiannon Carter is a certified ADHD Coach and former educator with over 25 years of experience providing support to the ADHD community. As the founder of Empower You ADHD Coaching, she specializes in working with adults, post-secondary students, and parents, helping them build practical strategies and confidence in managing ADHD across all areas of life. Rhiannon brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work, helping clients design customized, solution-focused interventions. She has also had the privilege of co-designing a national Adult ADHD Group Coaching program for the Centre of ADHD Awareness Canada (CADDAC) and facilitates these programs.
2B
"From Online to In Real Life: Navigating Relationships as a Neurodiverse Young Adult"
Navigating relationships in young adulthood can be complex, and for individuals with ADHD and Learning Disabilities (LD), these transitions often come with added layers of challenge and opportunity. This presentation explores the nuanced process of managing romantic and social relationships as neurodiverse young adults with a focus on the common transition from online connections to in-person interactions.
Some of the topics will include how executive functioning differences, emotional regulation, rejection sensitivity, and social communication styles can shape relationship experiences. Common patterns will be explored such as rapid attachment, difficulty with ambiguity, challenges in pacing intimacy, and navigating boundaries, especially when relationships begin online.
This session is designed for neurodiverse young adults and community members supporting neurodiverse young adults, with the goal of building understanding and sharing practical strategies to support intentional connection building, clearer communication, and smoother transitions from online to in-person relationships/friendships.
Uma Vandekerkhove
Uma Vandekerkhove holds a Master’s of Counselling and is a Registered Psychologist in Alberta. Since 2023, she has been supporting youth with Learning Disabilities and ADHD at Foothills Academy and in the community. She is passionate about helping kids and teens understand themselves better and build practical tools to support their mental and emotional well-being. Uma also works with families to create consistent support at home and school. She has co-facilitated the Girls Only! group for girls and teens with ADHD, focused on helping them connect with each other and make sense of their diagnoses. In 2024, she presented at the Learning Disabilities & ADHD Network Conference on the experiences of girls and women with ADHD, sharing insights on how to best support them. Returning in 2025, she presented on the experience of families and siblings navigating an ADHD/LD diagnosis, with a focus on strategies for managing sibling and extended family dynamics.
2C
"Now What? Retirement as Disruption and Discovery for Adults with ADHD"
Retirement is widely regarded as a time of freedom and reward, yet for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), this transition can present a uniquely complex set of challenges and opportunities. The structured routines, social engagement, and sense of purpose that employment provides often serve as natural scaffolding for managing ADHD symptoms — scaffolding that retirement can abruptly remove. This presentation explores how the loss of external structure in retirement may exacerbate difficulties with time management, motivation, emotional regulation, and executive functioning in adults with ADHD.
At the same time, retirement offers meaningful opportunities: the freedom to redesign daily routines, pursue stimulating interests, and build self-directed systems that align with individual strengths. Drawing on current literature and clinical insights, this talk will examine practical strategies to help adults with ADHD approach retirement proactively, including the development of intentional structure, social connection, and ongoing engagement. Implications for clinicians, coaches, and family members supporting adults with ADHD through this transition will also be discussed.
Dr. Brandy Callahan
Brandy Callahan, PhD, RPsych, is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Calgary. She is clinically trained as a Geriatric Neuropsychologist with expertise in cognitive aging and brain health. Her research focuses on ADHD in adults and older adults, and she aims to understand the factors unique to this demographic that may impact relationships between ADHD symptoms, cognitive health, and psychosocial functioning.
3A
"Transforming from Overwhelm to Confidence: A Simpler Way to Manage Money with an ADHD Brain"
Managing money can feel overwhelming—especially when traditional advice depends on consistency, tracking, and willpower. This session explores how ADHD impacts financial behaviour and introduces a simple, low-effort system that reduces decision fatigue and helps money management run more automatically—even on low-capacity days.
Christine Urbanowski
Christine Urbanowski is a Certified Financial Counsellor who helps people move from feeling overwhelmed and stressed about money to calm, clear, and confident in their decisions.
With a background in engineering and a strong interest in human behaviour, she creates simple, sustainable systems that work in real life — not just on paper. About 75% of her clients have ADHD, and her continued learning in this area is both professional and personal, as she relates to many of these patterns herself.
Her approach is practical, judgment-free, and designed to create lasting change.
3B
"Pathways Forward for Adult Foundational Learners with ADHD and LD"
Adult foundational learners are adults building skills such as reading, writing, numeracy, and digital literacy for daily life, education, and work—often after leaving high school before completion or experiencing challenges in traditional school settings. These challenges are frequently related to learning disabilities (LD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and can contribute to reduced confidence, gaps in foundational skills, and uncertainty about how to move forward as learners.
This presentation explores programs and pathways designed to support adults with LD and ADHD in rebuilding skills and progressing toward personal, educational, and employment goals. Emphasis will be placed on understanding common barriers to learning, how these challenges present in adulthood, and practical, strengths-based strategies that foster confidence, persistence, and meaningful progress in learning environments.
Nada Jerkovic
Nada Jerkovic is the Manager of Literacy Programs at CanLearn Society, with over twenty years of experience in adult foundational learning. Grounded in her work as an instructor, she focuses on program design and brings deep experience supporting adult foundational learners with learning disabilities and/or ADHD. She believes learning opens doors to well-being, confidence, and new possibilities. Nada is co-presenting with Berniece Gowan.
Berniece Gowan
Berniece Gowan is the Professional Development/Literacy Specialist for Calgary Learns. She has been working in adult literacy for over 25 years as a practitioner, capacity builder and resource developer. She loves community-based work and is passionate about meaningful work.
Berniece is co-presenting with Nada Jerkovic in 3B: “Pathways Forward for Adult Foundtaional Lerners with ADHD and LD”.
3C
"When the Numbers Don't Add Up: Exploring Dyscalculia"
This presentation will explore dyscalculia, a specific learning disorder that affects the understanding and use of numbers and mathematical concepts. We will outline how dyscalculia may present in learners, including difficulties with number sense, basic calculations, time, and money, and clarify what these challenges do, and do not, indicate about intelligence.
The session will also examine the broader impact on academic performance and everyday life, including the potential for math-related anxiety. Practical, evidence-informed strategies will be shared, such as the use of visual supports, step-by-step instruction, and real-world applications, to help educators and caregivers better support individuals with dyscalculia and foster confidence in mathematical learning.
Lindsey Bingley
Lindsey Bingley is the Literacy and Numeracy Strategist at Foothills Academy, where she supports students, teachers, and parents. With over fifteen years of experience teaching diverse learners, Lindsey strives to help all students make progress and achieve their best. When not teaching, Lindsey can be found volunteering, running along the Bow River, or reading a good book.
4A
"Courageous Disclosure"
Deciding whether to disclose a disability can be difficult. Fears of being seen as “less capable,” concerns about hiring outcomes, or worries about job security often lead people to stay silent. Regardless of the reason, the cost of non-disclosure can be significant for you and your employer as it impacts your confidence, your performance and the organizations’ overall effectiveness.
In this session, we will explore whether, when and how to disclose to an employer and understanding, it’s not about asking for special treatment – it’s creating the conditions for your success. Choosing to disclose is your path to creating an environment where you can perform at your best.
Nicole Owen
Nicole Owen is a Career Development Professional with WorkConnect, who has provided support to job seekers facing barriers to employment, including those with ADHD and Learning Disabilities. Through engaging workshops, she helps individuals develop the skills and strategies needed to pursue meaningful and sustainable work. WorkConnect is an individualized and interactive career service for Persons with Disabilities, offering free services including one-on-one career coaching, skill development and direct connections to inclusive employers.
4B
"Bright Minds, Hidden Struggles: Supporting Gifted Leaners who also have ADHD and/or LD at Home and in the Classroom"
This presentation explores the gifted learner who also has a learning disability, ADHD, or both. The cognitive capacity of these gifted students is often masked by dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and/or ADHD. Designed for parents and educators, this session defines this unique profile, models the candid questions families ask schools that specialize in learning differences without promising gifted enrichment, offers parents practical tools at home, and equips teachers with classroom strategies. The key message is that these children thrive when adults learn to hold three truths at once: giftedness, LD, and ADHD.
Colleen Fleming
Colleen Fleming currently serves as an Admissions Associate at Calgary Academy, a school supporting students with a range of neurodivergent learning profiles. Her role affords her intimate knowledge of the questions parents pose when seeking the right educational environment for their children. Twenty years ago, she founded the school’s first Spanish Program and has since taught a range of high school courses. As a Literacy Specialist, she also led the Reading Centre for several years. With educational background in French, Spanish, Linguistics, Special Education, and Educational Research, she helps students pursue lives of passion and purpose. She is the proud aunt of three nieces and enjoys a good book or movie in her spare time. Colleen is co-presenting with Demetra Mylonas.
Demetra Mylonas
Demetra Mylonas is thrilled and honored to be the Student Wellbeing Specialist with Calgary Academy; a wonderful school specialized in the education of children with neurodivergent learning needs. Merging her backgrounds in Neuropsychology, Educational Psychology and Special Education, Educational Research, Early Childhood Development, and Family Services outreach, with her knowledge of mental health literacy and social emotional learning, she is committed to providing support and education for good mental health and wellness for students, teachers and families. She is a mother of five, and an avid lover of nature, food, books and art.
Demetra is co-presenting with Colleen Fleming in 4B: “Bright Minds, Hidden Struggles: Supporting Gifted Learners who also have ADHD and/or LD at Home and in the classroom”.
4C
"Why Does My ADHD Feel Different Right Now? Hormones, Pregnancy, Menopause, and Women’s ADHD"
Many women with ADHD describe feeling as though their symptoms suddenly change during major hormonal transitions — yet these experiences are often misunderstood or overlooked. From pregnancy and postpartum to perimenopause and menopause, shifts in hormones can affect attention, memory, emotional regulation, sleep, and daily functioning in ways that deeply impact quality of life.
This session explores what current research — and women themselves — are teaching us about the relationship between hormones and ADHD. Participants will gain insight into how ADHD may present differently during pregnancy and menopause, why these transitions can be especially challenging, and what kinds of supports may help.
The presentation will combine scientific findings with lived experiences to provide a compassionate, practical, and strengths-based understanding of women’s ADHD across the lifespan. This session is intended for adults with ADHD, family members, educators, healthcare professionals, and anyone interested in better supporting women through important life transitions.
Dr. Emma Climie
Dr. Emma A. Climie, Ph.D., R. Psych., is an Associate Professor in the School and Applied Child Psychology program in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary and leads the Strengths in ADHD research lab. With over 15 years of experience, her work focuses on strengths-based approaches, emotion regulation, stigma, and the well-being of individuals with ADHD. She holds the Carlson Family Research Award in ADHD and leads multiple funded projects. Dr. Climie contributes to national research, advocacy, and conference planning, bringing strong academic, clinical, and governance expertise to the ADHD field. Emma is co-presenting with Katy Lowe.
Katy Lowe
Catherine (Katy) Lowe, MSc, is a PhD candidate in School and Applied Psychology and a CanNRT doctoral fellow whose current work focuses on ADHD in girls and women across the lifespan via the collaborative national ADHD-Her project. Her research examines how key developmental periods, psychosocial experiences, and hormonal transitions from childhood through older adulthood shape the outcomes of ADHD in girls and women. Based on her previous research and clinical training in child mental health and neurodevelopment, Katy is excited to participate in ADHD-Her to advance women’s health research and understanding of ADHD in girls and women.
Katy is co-presenting with Dr. Emma Climie in 4C: “Why Does my ADHD Feel Different Right Now? Hormones, Pregnancy, Menopause and Women’s ADHD”.
Conference Schedule
Registration & Resource Fair & Networking
Welcome & Opening Remarks
1A Finding Your Footing During Periods of Change or Life Transition
Dr. Benda McDermott & Edwin Morales
1B Where Social Skills come to Life: Applying the Camp Amicus Framework at Home
Luke MacKinnon
1C The Science of Learning Across the Tiers
Eryn Coughlin & Nicole Jordan
Break & Resource Fair
2A Reclaim Your Time: Flexible Structure for Real-Life Impact
Rhiannon Carter
2B From Online to In Real Life: Navigating Relationships as a Neurodiverse Young Adult
Uma Vandekerkhove
2C Now What? Retirement as Disruption and Discovery for Adults with ADHD
Dr. Brandy Callahan
Lunch & Resource Fair & Networking
3A Transforming from Overwhelm to Confidence: A Simpler Way to Manage Money with an ADHD Brain
Christine Urbanowski
3B Pathways Forward for Adult Foundational Learners with ADHD and LD
Nada Jerkovic & Berniece Gowan
3C When Numbers Don't Add Up: Exploring Dyscalculia
Lindsey Bingley
Break & Resource Fair
4A Courageous Disclosure at Work
Nicole Owen
4B Bright Minds, Hidden Struggles: Supporting Gifted Learners with LD/ADHD at Home and in the Classroom
Colleen Fleming & Demetra Mylonas
4C Why Does My ADHD Feel Different Right Now? Hormones, Pregnancy, Menopause, and Women’s ADHD
Dr. Emma Climie & Katy Lowe
Expert Panel Q & A - Audience Questions & Closing Insights
Networking & Resource Fair
Exhibitors
Exhibitors
Meet our Sponsors and Resource Fair partners!
The Resource Fair is available to you all day. Browse, chat, ask questions and build your personal resource support list.
Hotel
Hotel Accommodations
The Courtyard by Marriott Calgary Airport Conference Centre
2500 48 Avenue NE, Calgary, AB
(403) 238 – 1000
We are excited to be back at the beautiful Courtyard by Marriott and their dedicated conference centre, located on the east side of the building.
Enjoy free parking in any of the hotel lots.
Please Note: This Marriott hotel is not the one directly at the Calgary Airport; it is just off the intersection of McKnight Blvd and Barlow Trail.
Click here for the Discounted Room Rate, available until Thursday, September 17, 2026.
