Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s Autism Programs - 2021
Holland Bloorview has created new program offerings focused on autism that are being delivered by caring and highly qualified professionals. Our program has been designed to support families navigating the recent changes to OAP and to meet the diverse needs of children with autism. Some programs are free, and others require a fee. Those requiring a fee are eligible under the new “Childhood Budgets”.
Our 2021 programs, listed below, include a number of services designed to meet the diverse needs of children and youth with autism and their families.
Please note that these programs are open to all children/youths and are NOT exclusive to Holland Bloorview clients or children/youths who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, please keep in mind that these programs are primarily designed to target the needs of families of children and youth with autism.
Registration process
EventBrite is an online registration and payment processing portal that will be used to register for the services found below. Once you click Register, you will be directed to the EventBrite website to register for the desired service and to process payments (if applicable).
Social ABCs: Parent-Mediated Early Intervention Program
Social ABCs is an evidence-based caregiver-mediated intervention for toddlers with suspected or confirmed autism or related social-communication challenges. Developed by a team of Canadian researchers, including Holland Bloorview’s own, Dr. Jessica Brian, it is considered to be a Naturalistic Developmental Behavioural Intervention (NDBI).
NDBIs are evidence-based interventions recommended for toddlers with autism, designed to be implemented in natural settings, that build on the child’s interests and motivation, make use of natural opportunities for learning, and use a variety of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) strategies to teach developmentally appropriate skills.
We offer a unique parent training experience where caregivers are viewed as the experts and are coached and supported by highly qualified parent coaches. The content of our service is developmental in nature and involves education and coaching around building communication skills, emotion regulation, managing challenging behaviours, sharing positive emotion with your toddler, how to encourage play and create social routines, as well as the importance of caregiver self-care.
Eligibility Criteria:
Families of toddlers between the ages of 12-36 months
Toddlers who have been flagged by a pediatrician, family doctor, or Psychologist as experiencing social communication delays or autism
Toddlers must be able to move independently (e.g. scoot, crawl, walk, etc.).
One parent/caregiver per child will be coached. The same parent/caregiver must be available for all sessions.
Program delivery is in English-only at this time. Parents/caregivers must feel confident learning and communicating with their toddler in English, even if a different language is spoken at home.
The 6-week Virtual Social ABCs Program includes:
6 group parent/caregiver education sessions (1.5 hours each)
9 individual parent/caregiver-child live coaching sessions (1 hour each)
1 individual parent/caregiver introductory session (30 min)
Where: All group and individual sessions take online through the Zoom platform
When:
Group parent educations sessions: The group parent educations sessions (didactics) will take place weekly.
Individual parent-child virtual live coaching sessions: To be scheduled individually with Social ABCs parent coach, Mon-Fri during business hours
Cost: $2500
Parent Coaches: Kate Perry, Speech-Language Pathologist & Social ABCs Parent Coach, and Dr. Abbie Solish, Clinical Psychologist, Ph.D., C.Psych
Please contact Leah Wong (416-425-6220 ext. 3832) prior to registering for the program, and for further details/questions.
To register for this program, click here.
Integrated Recreation and Respite Groups for Children and Youth
Please visit Our Services page for a range of inclusive and integrated programs. Children and youth with autism are welcome to attend any of these programs provided they meet the eligibility criteria.
Quick links:
Spiral Garden Summer Day Program