OAP Caregiver-mediated Programs
Caregiver-mediated early years programs help parents and caregivers find new ways for their young children with Autism (12 to 48 months) to learn skills and achieve goals in social communication.
Programs in the Durham Region
The Ontario Autism Program, Durham (OAP-D) partnership provides caregiver-mediated programs through Lake Ridge Community Support Services, Grandview Kids and The Regional Municipality of Durham. The Province of Ontario will invite families directly via written letter to participate in the caregiver-mediated programs, for which there are three programs to choose from. Children may only participate in one of these programs per fiscal year (April to March).
Lake Ridge Community Support Services is proud to be providing Project ImPACT as part of the OAP-D.
Have you already received a letter inviting your child to select a program? Find out how to register here.
OAP Caregiver-mediated Early Years Program Video
Watch these videos showcasing the details about Caregiver-Mediated Programs in the Durham Region.
Get a brief overview of Caregiver Mediated Programs in this video.
Get an in-depth overview of the OAP Caregiver Mediated Programs by watching this webinar.
Social ABCs
Provider: Grandview Kids
Social ABCs is a Naturalistic Developmental Behavioural Intervention that focuses on supporting a toddler’s ability to coordinate their attention with their voice to produce intentional messages (i.e., to direct their communication to another person), and helps them to share positive emotions with others. It involves training caregivers with a combination of teaching and live coaching using a positive, collaborative framework to help them learn the strategies. Opportunities for teaching and learning come from the child’s natural interests during playtime and day-to-day caregiving routines. The program can be delivered in person or virtually in the family’s home. The child can be in daycare full-time and/or the participating caregiver can work out of the home full-time, but it is recommended that families have sufficient time to practice and use the techniques with their child on a regular basis.
Click the button below to learn more about Caregiver-mediated Early Years and this project on the Grandview Kids website.
Project Impact
Provider: Lake Ridge Community Support Services
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). By combining the techniques in a naturalistic way, within the families’ day-to-day activities, children are better able to generalize newly acquired social-communication skills and continue to use them after the program is complete.
Parents and caregivers find it more conducive to their schedule when they utilize all that is learned throughout their daily routines over the traditional Applied Behaviour Analysis may require a stricter schedule to implement. Caregivers will learn strategies to support them in focusing on their child, adjusting their communication, creating opportunities, teaching new skills and shaping interactions with their child.
The PLAY Project
Provider: The Regional Municipality of Durham: Durham Behaviour Management Services and Infant and Child Development
The PLAY Project takes a Developmental and Relationship based approach to intervention, focusing on meeting each child at their individual developmental level and building skills through engagement and relationship building. The PLAY Project is play-based and caregiver-implemented. Play-based means that the intervention occurs through natural interactions with the child, using their preferred play materials, in a space and pace that is comfortable to them. It is caregiver implemented because parents are their child’s first teacher. Caregivers are coached to be their child’s play partner. They naturally understand their child’s communication and preferences. In addition, the child’s caregiver is able to continue using the strategies they’ve learned in the absence of the PLAY consultant/coach, maximizing the opportunities to practice those strategies.
Click the button below to learn more about Caregiver-mediated Early Years and this project on the Grandview Kids website.
Project ImPACT
Program Details
Age range: 12 to 48 months
Type of program: Individual and group coaching
Location: Virtual or in-person in the home or clinic
Duration: 12 weeks
Visits: Each visit is 60 to 90-minutes in length, between 1 and 2 visits per week.
Whom does Project ImPACT benefit?
Project ImPACT is for young children with autism and related social communication delays. Project ImPACT targets nonverbal communication skills, joint attention and engagement, gesture use, imitation, and functional and symbolic play.
What are the learning objectives and targeted skills?
Project ImPACT targets four core sets of social communication skills: social engagement, communication, imitation, and play. Project ImPACT makes learning fun for your child by using preferred activities such as bath time, mealtime and playtime to learn new skills. This program puts an emphasis on empowering the caregiver to learn strategies to support their child at home, giving the child many more hours of learning and practice. Project ImPACT also includes an optional unit on managing challenging behaviour.
What are the strategies used in Project ImPACT?
Project ImPACT uses an easy-to-follow acronym, F.A.C.T.S., to explain the strategies being taught. These strategies build on one another.
F = Focus on your child, follow their lead and imitate them
A = Adjust your communication, use animation, model and expand
C = Create opportunities, playful obstruction, balanced turns, communicative temptations
T = Teach new skills, use prompts and rewards, prompts for using communication, projects for understanding communication, prompts for imitation, prompts for expanding play
S = Shape the interaction-whether at home or in the community, caregivers can use the different parts of the program that best fit.
What is the role and time commitment of caregivers?
Caregivers will be involved in developing goals for their child in collaboration with the Project ImPACT coach. Caregiver participation includes attending weekly individual or group sessions (with the child attending part of the session). The number of sessions per week will vary depending on which service delivery option the family chooses.
Caregivers will be asked to read assigned chapters and/or complete exercises in the caregiver manual prior to each session (approximately 15 to 30 minutes per week). In addition, caregivers will be asked to dedicate 15 to 20 minutes per day to practice F.A.C.T.S. strategies with their child. Lastly, the caregivers will actively participate in the service by talking to their coach about their needs, concerns and/or any questions they may have.
What happens during a Project ImPACT session?
Individual Sessions:
One intervention technique will be introduced each session through:
Written information
Brief description of technique
Demonstration of technique with child
Opportunity for caregiver practice technique
Feedback Group Sessions format:
Check in and set the session agenda (5% of the session)
Review the Practice Plans (10% of the session)
Introduce the new techniques, show video examples, and facilitate discussion (70% of the session)
Plan for practice and coaching (15% of the session)
More information: visit the Project ImPACT website.
How do you register?
You may register for one of the Caregiver-mediated Programs if you’ve received a letter inviting you to register for one of the programs from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.
You may only participate in one of the programs every 12 months beginning in April of each year.
To register, contact OAPEarlyYearsIntake@grandviewkids.ca or call 905-728-1673 ext. 2468 to speak to a Grandview Kids Service Navigator.