Ontarios Strategy for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Ontario’s Strategy for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Presentation to Attendees of Child Psychiatry Day April 7, 2011

Ministry of Children and Youth Services

April 7, 2011 Ministry of Children and Youth Services

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Purpose

• The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of:

– how the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) supports children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

April 7, 2011 Ministry of Children and Youth Services

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Services and Supports for ASD – What is Currently Available?

• MCYS support for autism-specific services began in May 1999 when $5

million was announced for the Intensive Early Intervention Program for Children with Autism (now the Autism Intervention Program).

• Since this time, MCYS has broadened the supports and services available

to cover a wider range of supports for children and youth with ASD and their parents.

• Programs introduced between 1999 and 2004 include:

– Autism Intervention Program

• Provides Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) for children/youth that have a

diagnosis towards the severe end of the autism spectrum.

• Families are offered support services while waiting for IBI and planning and supports

are available when their child/youth prepares to leave the program.

• As of September 30, 2010 the AIP was serving 1,404 children/youth.

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Services and Supports for ASD – What is Currently Available? (cont’d)

– School Support Program- ASD

• Consultants provide training, resource development and consultation to educators to

assist them in supporting students with ASD.

• Programs introduced between 2005 and 2010 include:

– ASD Respite Services – provides temporary relief for families from the demands of caring for a child with ASD while engaging their children in meaningful skill-building activities, serving over 7,000 children in 2009- 10; – ASD Summer Camp – provides summer camp opportunities for children with ASD, and served 1,100 children in summer 2010; – Realize Community Potential – supports families of children and youth with ASD through parent support networks, training, resource materials and social learning opportunities for their children; – ABACUS – a registry of Applied Behaviour Analysis providers maintained by Autism Ontario that provides a resource to families hiring providers to work with their children with autism; and – CALYPSO – a website maintained by Autism Ontario that provides information to parents about available summer camp programs in specific locations.

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Services and Supports for ASD – What is Currently Available? (cont’d)

– Connections for Students (joint MCYS and Ministry of Education)

• The goal of Connections for Students is to provide more coordinated and

seamless transitions for school-aged children and youth leaving the Autism Intervention Program and starting or continuing in a publicly funded school.

• Multidisciplinary teams are established six months before a child leaves

the Autism Intervention Program and include the principal, teacher, parent/guardian, School Support Program consultant, school board ABA expert professional, and other professionals as required.

• Teams continue to support the child for at least six months after the child

has left the AIP and is in a publicly funded school.

• 819 children were served year-to-date as of September 2010.

April 7, 2011 Ministry of Children and Youth Services

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Factors Affecting the Evolution of Autism Services

Recognition of the Need for a Range of Appropriate Services and Supports

• Parents, researchers and service providers have identified the need for a broad

range of skill building services in the areas of social, communication, behavioural and cognitive skills for children and youth with ASD.

• They also identified the need for the province to enhance and broaden the current

array of programs for children and youth with ASD. Parent Confidence in IBI Service Delivery through the Autism Intervention Program

• IBI has traditionally been the main service offered in Ontario to children and youth

with ASD, and therefore has received a lot of attention from parents and interested stakeholders.

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Factors Affecting the Evolution of Autism Services (cont’d)

Pressure on Schools

• The majority of children receiving IBI services are school-aged.
• There is recognition of the need to support effective transitions for children leaving

the AIP to begin or continue in the publicly funded school system, and to continue to improve the school supports for all children with ASD. Family Support Needs

• The importance of respite for parents as well as the importance of access to

information regarding autism and available services has been expressed in consultations with families and is well supported in the research literature. Evolving Research

• Research on the assessment and treatment of ASD is rapidly advancing, and the

Government needs ongoing advice on up to date, evidence-based research on effective clinical practices and autism programs.

April 7, 2011 Ministry of Children and Youth Services

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Moving Forward: Ontario’s Autism Strategy

• The Minister of Children and Youth Services highlighted key parts of

Ontario‟s Strategy for children and youth with ASD in an announcement in December 2010.

• The vision:

“Ontario as a leader in autism research, programs and services that provide a continuum of care that responds to each child and families’ unique needs and enhances their capacity to participate in and contribute to home, school and their community.”

• The strategy was formed through consultations with parents, service

providers, expert clinicians and researchers, as well as research on the effectiveness of Applied Behaviour Analysis-based programs and an analysis of what‟s being done outside of Ontario.

April 7, 2011 Ministry of Children and Youth Services

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Moving Forward: Ontario’s Autism Strategy

Component Description Implementation Community- based Services (ABA)

• Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)-based services will provide time-

limited skill building services to improve communication, social/interpersonal, daily living, and behavioural/emotional skills.

• Includes a parent support component.
• Will serve approximately 8,000 children and youth annually at maturity.
• Late Spring 2011

Service System Capacity

• Establish an ASD clinical expert committee that will provide advice to

MCYS on up to date, evidence-based research on effective clinical practice and autism programs.

• Fall 2011

Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) Service Enhancements

• Establish an independent review mechanism for parents who are not

satisfied with decisions related to IBI:

• eligibility
• discharge, or
• reduction/intensity of service through the Autism

Intervention Program.

• Fall 2011

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Moving Forward: Ontario’s Autism Strategy

Parent Education and Supports

• Expand parent support and training programs for parents of

children with ASD, including: – parent training on integrating interventions into daily life – community-based parent to parent support, and – information, tools and resources.

• Fund March Break camps for children with ASD each year.
• Fall 2011

Component Description Implementation Autism Research

• Maintain and expand network of lead researchers on ASD in

Ontario and Canada and build capacity for the next generation of researchers.

• Ongoing

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Moving Forward: Ontario’s Autism Strategy

Component Description Implementation School-based Supports

• Continue to provide supports for children leaving IBI through the

Connections for Students model, and work with Ministry of Education to enhance supports in school for children with ASD.

• Ongoing

Transition Supports

• Create smooth transitions for all children with ASD, including

transitions in-school, between schools and programs, and the transition to adulthood and post-secondary education.

• 2011 and beyond

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Next Steps

• Expressions of Interest for the delivery of ABA-based services and supports

are currently being evaluated, and children are expected to begin receiving services in late Spring 2011.

• The Independent Review Mechanism for the AIP is under development and
• n track for implementation in Fall 2011. Stakeholder validation sessions

will take place in April 2011.

• The mandate and process to establish the ASD Clinical Expert Committee

is currently being finalized and the establishment of the committee is expected in Fall 2011.

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PUT TITLE HERE Supports for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

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PURPOSE

• Purpose of the presentation is to:

– give an overview of the Ministry of Education‟s supports of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

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CONTEXT

• The Ministry of Children and Youth Services provides intensive behavioural intervention (IBI)

therapy services through the Autism Intervention Program (AIP) to children and youth with ASD.

• The Ministry of Education provides applied behaviour analysis (ABA) instructional methods

through our school boards to students with ASD.

• The Ministers‟ ASD Reference Group was created by the Minister of Education and the Minister of

Children and Youth Services to provide both ministers with advice on effective, evidence-based educational practices to meet the wide range of needs of students with ASD. The Reference Group delivered its final report in 2007.

• The ministries have taken action in response to the majority of the Reference Group‟s

recommendations.

April 7, 2011 Ministry of Children and Youth Services

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STRATEGIC MINISTRY RESPONSES TO ASD REFERENCE GROUP’S RECOMMENDATIONS

• The Ministry of Education has implemented and continues to implement a wide range of initiatives supporting

students with ASD in response to recommendations of the Ministers‟ Autism Spectrum Disorders Reference Group

• More than 11,000 students diagnosed with ASD are currently being supported in the publicly funded school

system.

• The Ministry of Education has invested $53 million (2006 to 2009-10), through targeted funding outside the Grants

for Student Needs (GSN), to build capacity and improve the learning environment for students with ASD.

• Of this $53 million investment in ASD, nearly $29 million has been allocated for training.
• To date more than 14,000 educators have been trained in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) instructional methods

to support students with ASD.

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INITIATIVES IMPLEMENTED IN RESPONSE TO THE REFERENCE GROUP’S RECOMMENDATIONS

• Policy and Program Memorandum (PPM) No. 140, Incorporating

Methods of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) into Programs for Students with ASD was released in 2007.

• An annual process to monitor school boards‟ implementation of PPM

140 has been established in 2008.

• A resource guide Effective Educational Practices for Students with

Autism Spectrum Disorders was released in 2007.

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INITIATIVES IMPLEMENTED IN RESPONSE TO THE REFERENCE GROUP’S RECOMMENDATIONS

• Launching a publicly accessible web-page to share experiences of the Collaborative

Service Delivery Models (CSDM) Phase 2 partners and facilitate information sharing (http://www.ontariodirectors.ca/ASD/asd-english.html);

• Stable long-term funding of ABA expertise in school boards. In 2010-11 the Ministry

transferred the funding provided to hire additional board level ABA expertise professionals into the Grants for Students Needs (GSN); and

• Funding training opportunities in the field of autism for educators (e.g., supporting

participation of educators in Geneva Summer Training Institute, providing funding to district school boards to further ABA training).

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CSDM PHASE 1 – OVERVIEW

• Collaborative Service Delivery Models (CSDM) – Phase 1 was one of the major initiatives

implemented in response to the Reference Group‟s recommendations.

• Both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services supported CSDM

for Students with ASD Phase 1, in seven sites involving eight school boards, parents and relevant community agencies in 2007-09.

• The models were focusing on:

– Harmonizing Transitions – transition of student information protocol (pre-school to school; primary to secondary); seamless transitions; – Transitioning Together – grade to grade; semester to semester; – Individual Student Support Teams for Students with ASD – to collaboratively assess, plan for, and implement strategies to enable students with ASD to be successful in school and in the community; – Parent Engagement in Diverse Communities; – Integrating Students with High-Functioning ASD in the Classroom; – Transitions – primary to junior; intermediate to secondary; and – Data Collection and Behavioural Intervention Plan – for individual students with ASD who are struggling.

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CONNECTIONS FOR STUDENTS

• Collaborative Service Delivery Models (CSDM) for Students with Autism Spectrum

Disorders (ASD) – Phase 2 supported the implementation of the Connections for Students model in 16 boards and all 9 Autism Intervention Program (AIP) providers. CSDM Phase 2 has been completed.

• The Connections for Students model is centered on multi-disciplinary, student-

specific, school-based transition teams that are established approximately six months before a child prepares to transition from IBI services provided through the MCYS funded Autism Intervention Program to ABA instructional methods in school.

• As of September 2010, 819 children and youth were served province-wide through

Connections for Students.

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CONNECTIONS FOR STUDENTS (cont’d)

• Evaluation of CSDM Phase 2 identified a wide range of successful
• utcomes of the Connections for Students model:

– school boards have built a stronger and more reciprocal relationship with the AIP providers; – Individual Education Plans (IEPs), Individual Service Plans (ISP) and transition plans achieved better alignment; – collaboration among regional autism service providers, school board staff and parents/guardians throughout the transition process improved; – parent satisfaction with the transition process improved; – consistency of children‟s assessments in the AIP and school boards improved; and – positive student outcomes were achieved.

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CONNECTIONS FOR STUDENTS (cont’d)

• In March 2010, Connections for Students transition teams became available in all 72

publicly funded school boards for children who are ready to leave IBI services provided by the AIP and are starting or continuing in the publicly funded school system.

• The Ministry of Education supports a province-wide implementation of the Connections for

Students model through:

– joint ministry communication (e.g., DM memo and FAQs); – launching a web-page to share experiences of CSDM Phase 2 boards and facilitate information sharing (www.ontariodirectors.ca); – a joint ministry evaluation of the province-wide implementation of Connections for Students model; – funding ABA expertise in school boards; and – funding training opportunities in the field of autism for educators.

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CONNECTIONS FOR STUDENTS: Supporting Seamless Transitions for Students with ASD from the Autism Intervention Program to School

AIP staff will support children‟s transitions to school by:

• initiating transition process with

school board personnel with ABA expertise;

• identifying skills needed to

support child‟s successful school entry;

• developing a profile of the child‟s

strengths and needs; and

• transferring responsibility for the

child‟s transition and knowledge

• f the transitioning child from AIP

staff to the ASD consultant once transition team is formed. Transition Team - initiated approximately 6 months prior to school entry to develop an individualized transition plan and provide support for at least 6 months after child starts school. Members include:

• Principal (Team Lead)
• Parent(s)/guardian(s)
• School Support Program ASD Consultant
• Teacher
• School board personnel with ABA expertise, as

needed Teams may be supplemented by other multi- disciplinary expertise according to children‟s

• needs. Examples include:
• Teachers‟ assistants
• Special Education resource teachers
• Other professionals providing service to the

child (for example, mental health service providers, speech-language pathologists,

• ccupational therapists, physiotherapists)

Ongoing Support:

Principal, parent(s)/guardian(s) and teacher will continue to work together to monitor the student‟s progress at key transition points in order to provide appropriate supports. Principal must ensure that relevant school board personnel and community personnel who have previously worked and/or are currently working with a student with ASD are invited to provide input, for example:

• School Support Program ASD

Consultant

• School board personnel with ABA

expertise

• Education assistants
• Special Education resource

teachers

• Other professionals providing

service to the student

IBI I services through the AIP IBI I / ABA transi sition ion & entry to school Ongoing ing support in the school l setting

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CONNECTIONS FOR STUDENTS

• A survey of parents conducted in April 2010 confirms the positive impact of the Connections for

Students model: – 80% of parents were satisfied with the way the transition team worked with their child; – 73% of parents agreed that the transition team benefited the child after discharge from the AIP; and – all respondents (100%) agreed that they were engaged in their child‟s transition process.

• Parents‟ comments about the model implementation were provided in survey responses:

– “The transition team was there to inform, offer to support and act upon my request for help. Without the transition team I would have been „blind‟ and „helpless‟ and so would have been my child”. – “Much more work needs to be done but I feel Connections is a huge step in the right direction.”

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NEXT STEPS

• Continuous capacity building activities.
• Posting effective practices on www.ontariodirectors.ca.
• Ongoing support from the Co-Chair of the Provincial Advisory Team to Connections

for Students partnerships will be available in order to provide advice and assist in the maintaining of effective practices to support the transitioning of students with ASD.