Client Service
Ontario Autism Program
The Ontario Autism Program (OAP) supports families of children and youth on the autism spectrum up until 18 years of age. The OAP has transitioned to a program that is comprehensive, needs-based and family-centred. The needs-based services and supports currently available are Foundational Family Services, Caregiver-Mediated Early Years, Core Clinical Services, Entry to School, and Urgent Response Services. LRCSS is proud to be a part of all these services to OAP children and youth.
Foundational Family Services (FFS)
At Lake Ridge Community Support Services, OAP families can access Foundational Family Services through our dedicated Foundational Services team. These services are provided for families registered with the OAP and are individualized to meet each child and family's unique needs. These services include:
Family and peer mentoring via our Facebook Group
ON-DEMAND Family and Caregiver Workshops & Resources via our Foundational Family Service Portal
Brief Targeting Consultations: families meet with skilled professionals within the LRCSS team that can support learning and growth with each child and family's individualized goals.
Learn, Explore & Play (LEAP): A 3-part, play-based education series that supports the development and building of communication skills.
Navigating the Education System: A 3-part education series to support caregivers on how to navigate and effectively advocate for their child within the education system.
Caregiver, Parent & Peer Mentoring Groups: A peer-based webinar that fosters a safe space for caregivers to share their stories, strategize with peers, and learn how to create time for their self-care.
Crisis Prevention and Management- A 3-part education series that teaches caregivers how to prevent a behavioural crisis and ways to manage before, during and after a crisis.
SibChat - A 3-part education series that allows brothers and sisters aged 8-17 who have a sibling diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder to learn about autism and share their experiences together in supportive and collaborative group sessions.
This past year we had 249 unique families access our foundational services. We provided 1,388 units of services to these families.
211
Unique Families Served
1,143
Units of service delivered
FFS Portal
In it’s been another full year the Foundational Family Services Portal continues to be a go-to-resource for families. We continue to see new families registering and accessing the portal and exploring the 11 video workshops and resource library.
Foundational Family Services Portal 2021-22 Statistics
*Thinkific Dashboard measured against 2021-22 data.
Consultative Services
During this past year, we were able to continue to support our clients who were receiving OAP legacy services to continue to develop their skills in the goal areas outlined in their Behaviour Plans, such as social skills and emotional regulation skills. We were fortunate to continue to service these clients until their transition to the new OAP core services. We anticipate that for some clients, the transition to the new OAP core services will continue.
Intensive Services (OAP-I)
Renee Ruddock, Clinical Director
Intensive Services, this last year was one of change and transition. Our OAP-Legacy clients and employees embarked on the end of a decade of service. With the Minister's new initiative for the OAP and directing funds to families for core clinical services, families were informed that LRCSS would end their partnership with Kinark Child and Family Services. As a result, this year was spent prioritizing particular goals that would assist in a successful transition into school for our clients and assisting families with their Determination of Needs Assessments that informed the level of financial support and placement into the new needs-based OAP core services.
We are grateful to the Kinark Clinical Employees; their Durham Clinical Managers helped shape the wonderful service our clients received over the years. Their unwavering support and commitment to individualized, compassionate and effective service were appreciated. You will be missed, but your impact will be lasting.
OAP Clients Served 2022-2023
Entry to School Program
The first cohort of our Entry to School Program has been a tremendous success. With the help of our partners at Grandview Kids, Resources for Exceptional Children and Youth, and Durham Behaviour Management, we were able to transition 104 children into kindergarten successfully. The year was full of teaching, collaborating, assessing, adjusting, and transitioning.
Starting a new program on such a large scale across 8 locations and with 104 families is a daunting task. However, our LRCSS staff rose to the occasion through their perseverance and dedication to ensure skills were taught across the targeted domains of communication, play, social interaction, functional routines, behavioural self-management, pre-academic, learning and attention. And most importantly, fun and relationships were built! Our teams held a graduation ceremony at each location to celebrate the accomplishments made throughout the 6 months. It was a wonderful gesture and appreciated by all families!
Success was the theme throughout the rest of the year, with the clinical and transition teams assisting all 104 children into kindergarten from September to January. Well done, team! However, what was very impressive was the energy and initiative the teams used to prepare for the second iteration of ETS to start in the spring of 2023. We look forward to another successful year implementing this new program.
Caregiver-mediated Early Years Program
Caregiver-mediated programs: Social ABCs, Project ImPACT and The PLAY Project.
The Ontario Autism Program, Durham (OAP-D) partnership provides caregiver-mediated programs through Lake Ridge Community Support Services, Grandview Kids, and Durham's Regional Municipality to offer families of children under the age of four years, a choice of caregiver-mediated programs to choose between. Lake Ridge Community Support Services is proud to provide Project ImPACT as part of the OAP-D.
Project ImPACT (Improving Parents As Communication Teachers) uses a Naturalistic Developmental-Behavioural Intervention (NDBI), which combines Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and the communication and developmental fields. Applied Behaviour Analysis is a proven technique for teaching children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) social and communication skills. By utilizing ABA techniques naturally within the families’ day-to-day activities, children can better generalize newly acquired social-communication skills and continue to use them after the program is complete. This past year LRCSS provided service to 67 families in Project ImPACT.
STATISTICS: 67 Families Served
95% of those serviced in the Caregiver Mediated Program - Project ImPACT met some or all of their goals
72% received service using a hybrid model (both virtual and in-person services)
1 family was serviced in a language other than French and English