Canyon Crest Academy student sheds light on neurodivergent  students with speaker series

On Dec. 12, Students for Attention, a local nonprofit organization founded by Aaron Combs, a Canyon Crest Academy junior, kicked off its virtual speaker series focusing on raising awareness for neurodiversity to empower parents and teachers to support neurodivergent children and students.

The first event was a parents-only event where Aaron shared his personal journey as a student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The aim was to provide parents with a perspective on how they can support their kids academically, psychologically and emotionally to face growing pressure in modern society.

Nearly 200 families with children ranging from pre-kindergarten to college registered for the event. One attendee expressed their gratitude: “Thank you so much for sharing your journey! This gives us parents so much hope.”

The Students for Attention speaker series continues on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 3:30 p.m. with two Canyon Crest Academy teachers discussing the challenges and opportunities of living and working with ADHD as adults in a talk named “Teaching and Parenting with ADHD.”

The series finishes on Jan. 14, 2023 at 5 p.m. with a talk called “One for All - How School Community Impacts Experiences of Neurodivergent Individuals”. This will be presented by Nancy Leung and Omar Torres, special education preschool teachers at the Chula Vista Elementary School District.

These events are open to the public. More information can be found at studentsforattention.org/events/