Your child is more than their diagnosis.
When a child lives with a rare metabolic condition, back-to-school conversations can quickly become focused on formula, medications, food, emergency plans and what the child cannot do.
Those things matter. But so do the things that make your child your child.
Meet the F-Words for Child Development
Developed by researchers at CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, the F-Words for Child Development offer a strengths-based way to think about the whole child.
The six F-Words are:
The people and relationships that are central to the child's life.
What the child does in everyday life. How they do it is less important than participation.
Friendships, peers and opportunities to belong.
Physical and mental wellbeing, activity and opportunities to move.
The activities and experiences the child enjoys.
Hopes, goals, possibilities and what matters for the child's future.
The F-Words build on the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework. Rather than looking only at a diagnosis or limitation, the approach considers participation, activities, personal factors and the child's environment.
Why use this at school?
Your child's medical and school health plans tell staff important information about how to keep your child safe.
An F-Words profile helps answer another important question:
It can help a teacher, educational assistant, substitute teacher or other member of the school team quickly learn what your child enjoys, who matters to them, how they participate, what they are good at and what they hope to do.
That makes it a natural companion to the CanPKU+ School Support Toolkit. One resource explains the medical supports a student requires. The other helps the school understand the person receiving those supports.
Create your child's “Rare-ing to Go” profile
The fillable school profile lets you add a short description and, if you wish, a photograph for each of the six F-Words.
- Family: Who are the important people in your child's life?
- Functioning: What does your child do independently, with support, or in their own way?
- Friends: Who does your child enjoy spending time with? How do they connect with others?
- Fitness: What activities help your child move, recharge or feel well?
- Fun: What makes them laugh? What are their favourite activities, subjects, games or interests?
- Future: What are they excited to learn, try or become?
There is no “right” answer. The goal is simply to give the people supporting your child a quick, strengths-based picture of who they are.
How to complete the fillable tool
- Download the PDF to your computer.
- Open the downloaded file using Adobe Reader.
- Add information about your child under each F-Word and include photos if you wish.
- Save the completed profile as a new PDF.
- Share it with the school staff who support or teach your child.
Tip: Save the blank file to your computer before entering information. Changes entered into a PDF opened directly in a web browser may not save correctly.
Want to learn more?
CanChild's F-Words Knowledge Hub includes profiles, goal sheets, educator resources, videos, webinars and other tools for families and professionals.
Visit the CanChild F-Words Knowledge Hub
About the resource: The F-Words for Child Development were developed by CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research. CanChild makes its F-Words tools available for sharing and adaptation with appropriate attribution and for non-commercial purposes.
Reference: Rosenbaum, P., & Gorter, J.W. (2012). The ‘F-words’ in childhood disability: I swear this is how we should think! Child: Care, Health and Development, 38(4), 457–463.
