If you observe items on the following list it may mean that your child is developing differently. Parents should discuss this with their family doctor or paediatrician and ask about an assessment at Reach Beyond Behaviour Therapy Inc. at info@rbbt.ca 

• The first signs and symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder can appear in different stages. It may appear in the first few months of life or much later. 
• No words by 16 months or no two-word phrases by 24 months 
• Have a strong reaction to certain textures, sounds or lights (e.g., may reject clothing or want to be completely covered, put hands over ears, stare at lights)
• Skills have regressed over time (e.g., used to speak, sing nursery rhymes and then stopped)
• May engage in prolonged visual inspection of objects (e.g., may stare along edges, dangle string or move items closely in front of his/her eyes)
• Insists on routines (has to perform activities in a special way or certain sequence; requires a particular route or food and is difficult to calm if even small changes occur)
• Preoccupation with unusual interests, such as letters, numbers, wheels, trains – difficult to distract from these interests 
• Does not respond to their name 
• Does not point to show others things he/she is interested in
• Inconsistent or limited use of eye contact with people 
• Seldomly smiles when looking at others 
• Does not use gestures such as waving, reaching or pointing with others 
• Heightened interest in looking at objects 
• Limited attempt to obtain parent’s attention; does not follow or look when someone is pointing at something 
• Seems to be in his/her “own world” 
• Avoids or ignores other children when they approach or interaction with others 
• Odd or repetitive ways of moving or holding fingers, hands or whole body (rocking, pacing). May walk on toes. 
• May appear indifferent to pain or temperature
• Lacks interest in toys, or plays with them in an unusual way (e.g., lining up, spinning, smelling, opening/closing parts rather than using the toy as a whole)
• Does not appear to understand what is being said to them

Speak to your family doctor about your concerns. The family doctor may provide a referral to a paediatrician or a developmental paediatrician. The paediatrician or the developmental paediatrician may then perform specific diagnosis assessments or a referral may be done. . You may be referred to additional specialists to provide a diagnosis.

Once your child has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, register for the Ontario Autism Program through AccessOAP and provide all supporting documents that they ask for. AccessOAP manages the intake and registration of children and youth who are eligible for the Ontario Autism Program. If you are registering for the Ontario Autism Program for the first time, please contact AccessOAP directly. If you have questions about registering your child, you can email or call AccessOAP.

https://www.accessoap.ca/

 info@AccessOAP.ca

Toll-free: 1-833-425-2445

• Must be under the age of 18 
• Currently living in Ontario, Canada 
• A written formal diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder from a qualified professional with your child’s name, date of assessment, a statement indicating that the child meets the diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder, the qualified professional’s name and credentials. 

• The Ontario Autism Program  is an initiative administered by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services that provides a range of services and supports, including Ontario Autism Program funding, for families with children and youth with an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis living in Ontario. Children receive services and support until the age of 18. 
• Registering with the Ontario Autism Program will provide families with support and services available in the community, including workshops, training sessions, and individualized support. 

Foundational Family Services:

• Foundational family services are available to all families registered in the Ontario Autism Program as part of the new needs-based program. Foundational family services aim to give you more tools to work with your child or youth and participate in their ongoing learning and development through services and supports that are:
  • Informed by evidence
  • Delivered by a range of professionals
  • Are responsive to your family’s changing needs over time and your child’s needs, strengths and developmental stage
  • Offered in a variety of ways, including virtual, self-directed, in-person or group-based
  • Tailored to the unique regional, language and cultural needs in different communities
  • offered by organizations using collaborative, innovative and interprofessional approaches to work with other partners in your community
• Eligibility: Everyone registered in the Ontario Autism Program is eligible to receive foundational family services. Whether your child or youth is on the waitlist, has received interim one-time funding or a childhood budget, or has an existing Ontario Autism Program behaviour plan, you and your family can access these services and supports. You can choose to access these services at any point based on your needs, at no cost. There are no limits to the number of times you can register for these services. 

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Caregiver Mediated Early Years Program: 

• All children between the ages of 12 and 48 months who are registered in the Ontario Autism Program are eligible for free caregiver-mediated early childhood programs. Early childhood programs facilitated by caregivers assist young children in developing new skills and achieving personal objectives. All of the programs are based on play, are led by children, and are age-appropriate. They are free and last up to six months per child. Professionals teach parents and caregivers therapeutic strategies and specific techniques based on their child’s unique needs through these programs. They are designed to help parents and caregivers support their children’s development in the following areas: Social interaction, Play, Communication, Emotional development, Adaptive development and self-help skill. The programs are play-based, child-led, and developmentally appropriate. Programs are free of charge and available for up to six months per child.
• Eligibility: 
  • Most children who are 12 to 48 months old and registered in the Ontario Autism Program are eligible to receive caregiver-mediated early years programs
  • If your child is receiving core clinical services or has an active behaviour plan you’re not eligible to receive caregiver-mediated early years programs
  • Children who are receiving caregiver-mediated early years programs can receive other Ontario Autism Program supports (other than OAP core clinical services), special needs supports and/or early intervention programs at the same time. For example, your child can receive foundational family services at the same time as a caregiver-mediated early years program. 

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Core Clinical Services: 

• Core clinical services is one of the streams of support for children and youth registered in the Ontario Autism Program. Based on your child’s individual needs, these OAP core clinical services can include:
  • applied behaviour analysis
  • speech-language pathology
  • occupational therapy
  • mental health services, including counselling and/or psychotherapy
  • technology, program materials and/or therapy equipment at the recommendation of a regulated professional or Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA)
• Children and youth will be invited to enter core clinical services in the order that they registered for the Ontario Autism Program. After you accept your invitation, an AccessOAP care coordinator will guide you through the process to determine your support needs and funding for core clinical services and supports.
• AccessOAP, the OAP’s Independent Intake Organization:
  • is responsible for inviting children and youth to enter core clinical services
  • issues funding to families and individuals to purchase core clinical services
  • offers service navigation and family support
  • checks expenses that families and individuals submit against funding they’ve received

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Entry to School Program:

• The entry to school program is focused on helping children develop school-readiness skills in six areas:
  • Communication – such as, conversation, expressing wants and needs, understanding words and language, social communication, and non-verbal communication
  • Play – such as, toy exploration, and engaging in group play/games
  • Social interaction – such as, understanding of social boundaries, interactions with peers, and learning new behaviours by observing/imitating peers
  • Functional routines – such as, following classroom routines, and self-help skills such as dressing and toilet training
  • Behavioural self-management – such as, emotional regulation and being able to wait their turn
  • Pre-academics, learning and attention – such as, developing new learning skills, working within a group setting, and independent worK
  • The program is offered free of charge and is available in English and French. Interpretation services for other languages will be available as needed.
• Eligibility: To participate in the entry to school program, your child must be:
  • registered in the Ontario Autism Program
  • between three to six years old as of December 31 in the year they are starting school
  • starting kindergarten or Grade 1 for the first time
• Some children are not eligible for the entry to school program, including children:
  • who are receiving core clinical services
  • with an active behaviour plan
  • who have already started attending school

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Urgent Response Services: 

• Urgent response services do not provide funding to purchase supports. Children and youth registered in the OAP can access urgent response services while receiving other OAP services and supports. Urgent response services is a 12 week-program for children and youth at free of cost. 
• Eligible children and youth who are experiencing a specific, urgent need can access supports to:
  • help stabilize the situation
  • prevent crisis
  • reduce the risk of the child or youth harming themselves, others and property
• Eligibility: To be eligible for OAP urgent response services, you/your child must be:
  • registered in the OAP
  • experiencing one or more key high-risk factors that:
  • have started or worsened in the last 14 days
  • can be supported by OAP urgent response services – you will find out through a standard intake process
• High-risk factors include:
  • aggression
  • property destruction
  • violent thinking
  • fire setting
  • harm to animals
  • risk of exploitation
  • self-injurious behaviour
  • suicidal thoughts or behaviour
  • inappropriate sexual behaviour
  • flight risk

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• AccessOAP is an independent intake organization funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to help families access autism services across the province.
• The Ontario Autism Program (OAP) is a provincially-funded government needs-based program that offers a range of services and supports to families of children and youth on the autism spectrum.
• If you are registered in the OAP, create an account with AccessOAP and give consent to transfer your OAP record to AccessOAP.
• The OAP offers a service navigation program (SNP) to support families. It’s a one-door communication point for OAP families. Families will have direct access to SNP service navigators to help them understand the OAP and to connect them with the most appropriate service providers and resources available in their local communities.

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VISIT ACCESSOAP.CA

To put it in simple terms (because it can be a very lengthy or short answer), Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), is a research driven science that reduces challenging behaviour, increases language and communication skills and improves attention, focus, social skills, memory, and academics. It consists of tools and strategies that have been proven as an effective treatment for children and people diagnosed with autism and related developmental disorders. 

A BCBA or BCBA-Doctoral may also be referred to as Clinical Supervisor/Director. A BCBA/BCBA-D is someone with a post-level certification in behaviour analysis. They must complete a Master’s degree which includes verified coursework in Applied Behaviour Analysis and pass the Behaviour Analyst Certification Board national examination. BCBA-D’s are those who have completed a PhD in the field of behaviour analysis. BCBA and BCBA-Ds function in the same capacity when providing behaviour analytic services as a BCBA-D is not a separate certification. 

BCBAs act as a Clinical Supervisor for those delivering ABA services to children, youth and adults.  A BCBA may sometimes begin the intervention with an assessment to determine strengths and areas of improvement. A BCBA will regularly observe therapy sessions, review intervention programs, monitor progress, make informed decisions, and ensure the programming meets the needs of the client. Some BCBAs work in a consultative capacity as part of a multidisciplinary team with other professionals. In that case, they may provide recommendations to the client/family and meet the client less frequently. 

Behaviour Technicians assist in delivering behaviour analytic services and practice under supervision of a BCBA. Their role includes monitoring client progress and communicating and client related concerns that may arise.  They work collaboratively with the client, family and within a multidisciplinary team. 

• Families may apply to the following options to receive support from the government of Canada: 
  • Disability Tax Credit: The disability tax credit (DTC) is a non-refundable tax credit that helps people with impairments, or their supporting family member, reduce the amount of income tax they may have to pay.

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Incontinence Supplies Grant Application: 

• The Incontinence Supplies Grant program is for children and youth who:
  • are residents of Ontario between the ages of 3 to 18 years
  • have a valid Ontario Health Card
  • have a chronic disability (physical or developmental) that results in irreversible incontinence or retention problems lasting longer than six months and require the use of incontinence supplies
• After reviewing the program’s eligibility criteria, you may fill out an Incontinence Supplies Grant Program application and see your child’s Doctor or Nurse Practitioner to fill out their portion.

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Special Services at Home: 

• Families who are caring for a child with a developmental and/or physical disability can apply to the Special Services at Home (SSAH) program to get funding for:
  • primary caregiver relief and related supports
  • activities of personal growth or development for the child, including camps and recreational activities, like swimming and music classes.
• You can apply for the SSAH program if your child:
  • has a developmental and/or physical disability
  • lives in Ontario
  • is under the age of 18
  • needs more support than you can provide
  • lives at home with you, or is not living at home with you and is not being helped by other residential services.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/special-services-home#section-0

• An Ontario Autism Program service provider is an approved service provider by the Ontario Autism Program program that is considered qualified to provide high-quality services to children and youth.  The Ontario Autism Program  Provider List is an online listing of Board Certified Behaviour Analysts, Occupational Therapist, Speech-Language pathologist for children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Families in Ontario can search, select, and confirm the qualifications of their Autism Spectrum Disorder service providers. 
• The objectives of the Ontario Autism Program Provider List are to:
  • connect families with professionals who have the training and experience to provide safe, high-quality services for children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder 
  • protect the public from unqualified, unfit, and/or incompetent service providers to the best extent possible

Please see links below for support: 

Ontario Autism Program

Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program

Infant and Child Development Program

Preschool Speech and Language Program

Rehabilitation Services delivered by children’s treatment centres

Special Needs Resources teachers in child care settings 

Special Services at Home

Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities Program