Announcing Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Programs

Child & Community Resources, in partnership with private and public providers across the North, Northwest, and Northeast Regions of Ontario are offering Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Programs Pivotal Response Training (PRT) and Project ImPACT to eligible families (program details are included following the list of Partnering Agencies).

Partnering Agencies

ABA Northern Services & Training Inc.
https://www.facebook.com/abanorthernservices/
Located in Sudbury, Ontario, ABA Northern Services & Training Inc. provides Applied Behaviour Analysis-based services with the goal of providing effective services that meet families ’needs and helps children and youth reach their full potential.

Pivotal Response Training is supervised by Natalie P. Croteau (Board Certified Behaviour Analyst), owner and operator of ABA Northern Services &  raining Inc., with over 20 years of experience working with children, youth, and families with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

FIREFLY
http://www.fireflynw.ca/
With locations across Northwestern Ontario, FIREFLY is dedicated to supporting and strengthening the health and well-being of families, children, and youth, through emotional, physical, developmental, and community services.

The expertise of FIREFLY’s professional staff is drawn from the fields of social work, speech and language, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, developmental services, and early childhood education.

George Jeffrey Children’s Centre
http://www.georgejeffrey.com/
Located in Thunder Bay, Ontario, George Jeffrey Children’s Centre (GJCC) is a long-standing and well-respected pediatric outpatient health facility. GJCC is dedicated to meeting the communication, developmental, behavioural, and physical needs of infants, children, and youth, from birth to 19 years of age, across the Thunder Bay District.

GJCC leverages the expertise of their staff to offer augmentative communication, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, recreation and leisure facilitation, rural services, seating and mobility, speech-language pathology, and social work.

Kerry Maisels Behaviour Consulting Inc.
https://www.kerrymaisels.com/
Operating out of Southern Ontario, Kerry Maisels Behaviour Consulting Inc. has vast experience consulting to children and their families on areas such as assessment and treatment of behavioural feeding concerns, parent training, clinical supervision of comprehensive ABA programs, staff training, skill acquisition programs such as increasing communication, social skills, daily living skills,
toilet training, sleeping and emotional regulation.

Project ImPACT is supervised by Kerry Maisels (Board Certified Behaviour Analyst), owner and operator of Kerry Maisels Consulting Inc., with over 15 years of experience working with children, youth, and families with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disabilities.

One Kids Place Children’s Treatment Centre
https://www.onekidsplace.ca/
One Kids Place is a Children’s Treatment Centre serving and empowering families for a more inclusive future. One Kids Place’s 0-18 service delivery model supports the needs of children and
youth in the districts of Nipissing, Muskoka and Parry Sound as well as the lead agency for preschool speech and language services in Nipissing/Timiskaming and Muskoka Parry Sound districts as well as the service provider for autism and behaviour services for the Northeast including the James Bay Coast.

Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority
https://www.slfnha.com/
Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority provides primary care, mental health, Developmental and public health services to 31 remote first nations in Northwestern Ontario. Through its mission- transforming the health of Anishinabe people across Keewaytinook by providing community-led services and a strong voice for their community health needs, the authority works closely with the band councils, nursing stations and community programs to augment the services. The developmental services program provides audiology, behavioural therapies, complex care coordination, developmental psychology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy and social work. 

THRIVE Child Development Centre
https://kidsthrive.ca/
Operating out of the Algoma District, THRIVE Child Development Centre helps children and youth with diverse abilities achieve their highest potential.  As one of twenty-one children’s treatment centers across Ontario, THRIVE supports children and youth from 0-18 years of age who are impacted by differences in physical, perceptual, communication and/or developmental trajectories.

Child & Community Resources
https://ccrconnect.ca/
Located in Sudbury, Ontario, Child & Community Resources is a charitable organization that provides services and community supports to parents, children, and professionals to enhance and support the inclusion, integration, and wellbeing of children across the North Region.  Child & Community Resources works with partners in the private and public sectors to connect families to the quality services and talented professionals they deserve.

Pivotal Response Training

Pivotal Response Training (PRT) is an evidence-based 12-week intervention program that uses applied behaviour analysis principles. PRT uses the child’s motivation to teach communication and social engagement. One of the greatest strengths of this approach is that parents are taught the core strategies of the program to implement with their child. PRT incorporates strategies that can be used in day-to-day routines and interactions with the child.  PRT maximizes teaching opportunities in a fun and engaging manner.

PRT targets eye contact, requesting, turn-taking, play skills, and gaining attention by teaching caregivers to follow the child’s lead, gaining the child’s attention, using prompts, interspersing maintenance and acquisition tasks, using natural reinforcers, providing contingent reinforcement, and reinforcing reasonable communication attempts.

Eligibility Criteria

PRT is designed for children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder who meet the eligibility criteria for Ontario Autism Program: Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Programs (i.e. 12 to 48 months of age and have received an invitation letter from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services).

Service Delivery Method

PRT is offered both virtually and in person (dependent upon geographic location and status of COVID-19).  Services are available in both French and English.

Project ImPACT

Project ImPACT stands for Improving Parents as Communication Teachers. It is an evidence-based intervention for families of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The program teaches parents strategies for teaching children social-communication skills such as how to engage, communicate and play.  Therapists work with parents to build confidence in implementing the intervention with their child into everyday routines.

Services are delivered in an individualized or group setting, over a 12-week period. Therapists working with parents will first describe the techniques using a presentation method (whether individually or in a parent workshop). Following each presentation therapists will work one-on-one with the parent and child to model, practice and provide feedback on the implementation of these techniques.

Eligibility Criteria

Project ImPACT is designed for children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder who exhibit difficulty with social engagement and have significant language delays.  Children must meet the eligibility criteria for the Ontario Autism Program: Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Programs (i.e. 12 to 48 months of age and have received an invitation letter from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services).

Service Delivery Method

Project ImPACT is offered both virtually and in person (dependent upon geographic location and status of COVID-19).  Services are available in both French and English.

Contact

For additional information or to register, contact:

Kim Einarson, Supervisor, Regional Services
Child & Community Resources
1-877-996-1599 extension 2608
keinarson@ccrconnect.ca