Autism
Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is one of a group of 5 disorders that fall under the label of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD).
These 5 disorders are Autism
- Autism
- Asperger’s Syndrome
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD NOS)
- Rett’s Disorder
- Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
Autism typically appears during the first three years of life, although with Asperger’s Syndrome and High Functioning Autism, a diagnosis may not be made until the child is in the education system.
There is no known medical test for ASD. The diagnosis is made by a pediatrician or psychologist and is based on observations of the child’s communication, social skills and general behaviour.
Although some signs and symptoms of children with ASD might be similar, no single learning approach or therapy can be applied to every child.
Our programs are individualized to meet specific developmental needs to enable each child to reach his or her full potential.
Hands helps the families of children with autism through the following programs:
- The Autism Intervention Program uses an Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) approach to improve key learning skills in the areas of cognitive, language and social development for children or youth with moderate to severe Autism. IBI is based on the scientific principles of Applied Behavior Analysis.
- The program individualizes a comprehensive range of clinically appropriate goals targeting a broad range of developmental areas. Intervention is ordinarily provided intensely and requires between 20 and 40 hours of therapy per week. Children or youth who experience significant benefit will show increased readiness for participation in the educational and other community programs.
- The program will support children or youth in their integration and generalization of gains from IBI into the school setting. Up to one year of transition support is available to assist this process.
IRM: Independent Review Mechanism for the Autism Intervention Program
When you receive notification that your child is ineligible for or is being discharged from the Autism Intervention Program (AIP), you may request an independent review of that decision.
For more information on IRM, please see the resources and links below:
- Through parent coaching, Behaviour Communication Therapy Services teaches a child with ASD positive behaviours and appropriate skills.
- Through consultations with parents, Hands facilitators provide therapy through in-home coaching and short term intensive behavior management plans with parents and/or community team.
- Behaviour Communication Therapy Services also offer single session consultations to those on the waitlist.
Obtains information from families and determines what services are appropriate for the family; provides support and brief service to the family in coordinating and navigating community services.
Two separate Enhanced Respite funds are available to families who have children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who are under the age of 18 years old and who live in the Parry Sound, Muskoka or Nipissing regions to address needs for respite assistance. These funds include a Special Activities fund and a Crisis fund. Applications are reviewed using specific criteria to determine eligibility.
Special Activities Respite Fund
The enhanced respite special activities fund is designed to enhance the capacity of community agencies/services to accommodate children with ASD. There are 2 ways to apply for special activities funds:
- Group activities: community agencies or multiple families may apply for this fund to help accommodate a group of children with ASD.
- Individual requests: since group funding is not always appropriate, a second process has been developed to include requests from individuals.
The funds in special activities are strictly to be used to pay for one-to-one support (a worker/facilitator) so a child may fully participate in an activity outside the home. The maximum funding available per request is $500.00. Individual applicants may make 2 separate requests per fiscal year and approval of a second application is based on budget availability.
Application for Enhanced Respite – Crisis
Application for Enhanced Respite – Individual Special Activities
Application for Enhanced Respite – Group Special Activities
Crisis Funding
The Crisis fund is designed to support families who have had an unexpected crisis occur. Families complete the application and submit it to the respite program. The application must meet criteria in order for it to be approved. The crisis must be short-term (2-4 weeks in length), unable to be planned for, child needs constant supervision, child lives at home and crisis poses risk to child. A maximum of $1,000.00 is allocated for each application per child.
For more information on our Autism Enhanced Respite Services, please contact us at autismrespite@handstfhn.ca
