In the province of Ontario, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) provides a range of program and services for children and youth with ASD.
Autism Intervention Program (AIP)
The Autism Intervention Program provides Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) for children and youth who are diagnosed with ASD.
All the eligible child and youth are offered support services while waiting for IBI to start. This will include preparing the child for IBI, promoting skill development, and encouraging integration into small groups. IBI program may be conducted for individuals or for a small group. Since parents are integral part of the program, the program has parent-training component as well
For more details, please visit the Ministry of Children and Youth Services web site – www.children.gov.on.ca
AIP Service options
AIP program has following two services options
Direct Service Option
Under this option children and youth with ASD can receive services directly from trained of one of the nine regional offices of MCYS in your area.
Direct Funding Option
Under this option parents of children with ASD apply and may directly receive funding. In this case parents have to engage / hire private professionals themselves. A list of such professional /service providers is available at ABACUS registry web site
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)-Based Services and Supports
ABA-based services and supports provide time-limited skill building services help children and youth to improve communication, social and interpersonal, behavioural/ emotional skills and daily living and with relevant parent support. These services are available up to the age of 18
Connections for Students
This program supports children leaving the Autism Intervention Program (AIP) and going to school. However, such students are provided transition support for at least 6 months before joining the school. The transition team consists of educationist, ABA experts, parents and other related service providers
School Support Program
Under this program ASD consultants provide diversified consulting services within schools to educate teachers and educators. They provide training and instructional workshops to principals, teachers, teaching assistants and other educational support staff and also consult with individual educators regarding student specific outcomes etc. There are more than 185 ASD consultants working with public elementary and high schools in Ontario
ASD Respite Services
These services provide a break and some temporary relief to parents and caring for a child or youth with ASD.
For more details, please visit the Ministry of Children and Youth Services web site – www.children.gov.on.ca
You can also visit Autism Ontario’s website at www.autismontario.ca or www.respiteservices.com.
Camp Programs
The Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) also organize ASD Summer Camps and March Break Camps to allow children and youth with ASD to maintain and generalize the skills learned during the school year, promotes social development through peer interaction and provides respite for families.
The CALYPSO website provides the information to parents, caregivers and others to locate camps and camp programs for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Ontario.
Potential Programme
This programme is delivered by Autism Ontario with the support from MCYS to directly support families, parents, and children with ASD. The program works to increase greater access to ASD experts in their communities, and to provide supportive community-based learning opportunities for children with ASD.
For more details, please visit the Ministry of Children and Youth Services web site – www.children.gov.on.ca
ABACUS: Provides information related to Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) services and service providers for children and youth with ASD
www.abacuslist.ca
MCYS Service provider