Navigating Autism Services
The Ontario Autism Program (OAP) provides support to families of children with Autism.
Children and youth who have a diagnosis of Autism are eligible to receive funding and support until the age of 18. For more information about the Ontario Autism Program click this link https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-autism-program
Under this program, the following services are covered:
1. Mental Health Services provided by a Registered Social Worker, Registered Psychotherapist or Registered Psychologist.
2. Speech Language Services provided by either a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) or a Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA) who is being supervised by a SLP.
3. Occupational Therapy Services, provided either by an Occupational Therapist (OT) or a Occupational Therapy Assistant, who is being supervised by an OT.
4. Behavioural Therapy provided by a Registered Behaviour Analyst (RBA – formerly referred to as a BCBA) or a Supervised Behaviour Therapist, who is being supervised by a RBA.
5. Certain technology is covered under this program, if recommended by one of the above professionals. **Please note there is a procedure to follow for this to be covered, for more information, reach out directly to OAP or speak to your provider.**
Now we know what services are covered, what does each of these cover and how can they help your family?
One of the trickiest things for many of the families we support is for them to know what is important for their child and what each provider can support. We have created this report as a resource, so that hopefully you find it easier to navigate the types of services and how they can best care for your child.
Mental Health Services:
On our team of Registered Social Workers and Registered Psychotherapists we have practitioners who can help support your child or youth with the following:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Grief
- Trauma
- Life transitions
- Social Skills
- Career Planning and preparation for interviews etc.
Our therapists will tailor each session to your child and their interests. We are able to provide play and art based sessions and we have video games and other interactive options for their sessions. We are also fortunate to have several of our registered mental health professionals offering Equine Assisted sessions from a beautiful farm in Brantford. In addition to working with the horses, there are a variety of other animals for our clients to enjoy and interact with during their session. Anyone who enjoys being outside and around animals and nature can benefit from these programs, but we have seen great responses from children and adults with ADHD, Autism or other learning/developmental concerns and children and adults suffering from PTSD/CPTSD.
If your child finds in office therapy overwhelming/intimidating consider a consultation with one of our equine providers.
On our staff we also have a Registered Psychologist who is able to provide PsychoEducational Assessments. For more information about services with our psychologist, click here to get our free, downloadable report: https://brantmentalhealth.com/reports/considering-a-psychological-assessment/
Our team of therapists will meet with your child, and yourselves, to determine what the goals are and will communicate a plan regarding their care. If caregiver support is needed, they will make an appropriate referral so that the family is also receiving the support they need.
Speech Therapy:
Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) are regulated and licensed healthcare professionals with the College of Audiologist and Speech Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO).
SLPs support the identification, education, assessment and intervention of both communication and/or feeding swallowing disorders in both children and adults.
What areas do they treat?
- Receptive Language: Difficulty understanding or processing language.
- Expressive Language: Difficulty putting words together, having a limited vocabulary, or being unable to use language in a socially appropriate way.
- Articulation (Speech Sound Production): Difficulty making sounds or saying words incorrectly to the point that listeners can’t understand what’s being said.
- Oral Motor Concerns: Difficulty with moving and/or coordinating the lips, tongue, jaw and other oral motor muscles required for speech production.
- Voice & Resonance: Difficulties with pitch, volume, or quality of the voice.
- Social Communication & Play: Difficulties using verbal and non-verbal language for a variety of reasons or using language to build relationships.
- Autism Spectrum Disorder: Communication concerns are one aspect of autism spectrum disorder, which can include difficulties with social skills and language. Individuals with Autism may have difficulty understanding and using words, learning to read or write, or engaging in communication exchanges.
- Literacy: Difficulties with phonological awareness, reading and/or writing.
- Feeding & Swallowing: Difficulties with chewing and swallowing, coughing, gagging, texture sensitivity, and/or refusing foods.
The Process:
- Initial visit and assessment:
The SLP will complete an in-person or virtual assessment depending on several different factors. Our approach to assessment ensures we take the time to understand your child’s needs and adapt our service delivery to meet their individual engagement and interaction style.
Assessment can include some or all of the following:
- Case History
- Parent Interview
- Communication Concerns
- Informal Observation
- Behavioural Observation
- Formal Standardized Assessments
- Obtaining a language sample
- Oral Motor Examination
- Discussion of results and recommendations
We encourage families to bring any previous Speech-Language Pathology assessment/discharge reports, or other relevant service provider documentation (e.g., Occupational Therapy, Behaviour Therapy, etc). To ensure true patient-centered care, our clinicians believe in the importance of collaboration with other service providers to ensure continuity of service both within and across disciplines.
- Intervention:
If intervention is recommended, the SLP will design and implement various activities to target your child’s communication goals. Activities will range from low to highly structured depending on the clients’ interests and communication/learning profile. Caregiver involvement is an important component of intervention to promote and help parents feel confident supporting their child’s speech and language progress at home. The SLP will provide take-home activities that the caregiver can use to support the ongoing development of their child’s speech and language skills. Clinicians will track progress of therapy goals across sessions to inform the need for ongoing assessment and intervention.
Speech-Language Pathologists are often one of the first professionals to become involved with a young child showing possible signs of autism, as communication differences or delays are often one of the first signs noticed by parents/caregivers/educators. It is important to know that Speech-language Pathologists cannot diagnose autism, but can assist in helping support communication skill development even before a diagnosis is received, and can also help direct families to find the appropriate resources if they are looking to determine a diagnosis.
Occupational Therapy:
Occupational therapy (OT) is a type of health care that helps to address challenges that are interfering with a child’s ability to do the things in their life that are most important to them! This may include everyday activities such as:
- Self-Care: Getting dressed, eating, toileting
- Being Productive: Going to school or work, participating in the community
- Leisure Activities: Play, making friends, sports and recreation
How will OT support my child?
OT uses a strength-based approach to determine a child’s current skillset and then help to teach skills, modify tasks, and create a supportive environment so that children can have success with their most meaningful activities. Our OT is trained to support the development of a number of foundational skills that may be impacting your child’s participation.
These could include:
- Sensory processing and self-regulation
- Fine motor skills
- Gross motor skills
- Executive functioning skills (e.g., attention, organization, time management)
What do OT sessions look like at Pathways to Hope?
At Pathways to Hope, we have a Registered Occupational Therapist providing:
- Occupational Therapy Assessment – Includes 1:1 direct assessment, caregiver interview and written summary report.
- Occupational Therapy Treatment – Includes 1:1 direct treatment and caregiver education.
- Parent consultation programs – this includes a comprehensive assessment of the concerns and a plan to teach and empower the caregivers to implement techniques at home.
Our OT prioritizes a strengths-based, play-based and family-centered approach to care. Sessions are individually designed with your child’s skills and interests in mind. Our hope is that sessions will be fun, empowering, and informative. We emphasize parent involvement and education so that caregivers feel empowered to support their child with ongoing skill development outside of OT sessions.
Behavioural Therapy:
At our offices, a Registered Behaviour Analyst (RBA) or a Supervised Behaviour Therapist (SBT) will work with you and your child using either:
- A 1:1 therapy model where your child works directly with the RBA or SBT, or
- A consultation model where the RBA or SBT works with a caregiver to implement behaviour strategies in the home setting.
Behavioural therapy focuses on positive, meaningful behaviour change. This may include your child learning:
- Social skills,
- Language and communication,
- Routines,
- Academics,
- Self-help skills, and more.
It may also include decreasing harmful or unsafe behaviours, often by replacing these with alternative, positive behaviours. At Pathways to Hope, our behvioural team use principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).
ABA is a research-backed methodology for understanding behaviour (the skills and actions needed to live, play, work, talk, etc.). ABA is used to increase positive behaviour, learn new skills, and essentially to help individuals and their families live their best lives. Typically, a goal/new skill will be broken down into smaller steps, which will gradually be worked on until the end goal is met.
Research shows that consistent ABA can significantly improve behaviours and skills and reduce the need for special services (Reichow, 2012). ABA has been endorsed by multiple agencies around the world including the U.S. Surgeon General, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Institute of Mental Health (BACB, 2022).
How long will my child need behavioural therapy?
This varies depending on the child’s needs. Typically, the RBA and team working with your child will evaluate your child’s needs on an ongoing basis. Overall, the goal is to help you and your child be equipped and empowered so that intervention is no longer required.
Is ABA only used for kids with autism?
Although ABA is most often used for helping children with autism, there are many other applications of it!It’s also used in areas such as parenting, education, traumatic brain injury, mental health, sports, and workplace performance.
At Pathways To Hope, our RBA will assess your child’s needs and create an individualized plan. Goals may range from pre-academic and visual responding skills to self-help or emotional regulation skills. You (the caregiver) will be involved in your child’s goal planning and progress.
We want to put our child in a social skills or other group. Will this be covered?
Many of the families we support see the value in their child participating in groups. Sometimes this is done in conjunction with another service and is used to build skills that are being learned and practically apply them in social situations.
At Pathways To Hope and Brant Mental Health Solutions, our groups are often facilitated by Registered Mental Health Professionals, or by one of the above mentioned practitioners. This would mean that your funding could be used for group activities that are working on building the skills your child needs.
How do I find out more about these services and what is the process for each service?
The easiest way to begin finding out more about our services, is to give one of our clinics a call or send us an email:
Shoreline Wellness Centre: 226.791.3354 shorelinewellnesscentre@gmail.com
Pathways To Hope: 519.751.0728 pathwaystohopebrant@gmail.com
Brant Mental Health Solutions: 519.302.2300 reception@brantmentalhealth.com
One of our administrators will gather information from you and may set you up with a free consultation with either our client care coordinator or one of our professionals to ensure you have been able to share the goals your family has. Once this has taken place a clear treatment plan will be communicated to you with a variety of options for your unique situation.
If you are wanting to put your child in one of our services that has a waitlist, we will ensure you are given plenty of information about that process and approximately how long the wait will be.
Final thoughts:
Navigating services for your family can be overwhelming. At our offices, we aim to make things as easy as possible for you. We don’t want your family wasting time, or money and we will do everything we can to support you, even if that means referring you to one of our community partners for more suitable support and services. Consider a free, no obligation consultation with us as you gather information!
