Ontario Autism Program: caregiver-mediated early years programs

Overview Caregiver-mediated early years programs support families with young children ages 12 months to 48 months (4 years). The programs help young children learn new skills and meet individualized goals.

Through these programs, parents and caregivers learn therapeutic strategies and specific techniques from professionals based on their child’s individual needs. The programs aim to build parents’ and caregivers’ capacity to support their child’s skill development in:

social interaction play communication emotional development adaptive development and self-help skills The programs are play-based, child-led and developmentally appropriate. Programs are free of charge and available for up to six months per child.

Eligibility Most children who are 12 to 48 months old and registered in the Ontario Autism Program are eligible to receive caregiver-mediated early years programs.

If your child is receiving core clinical services or has an active behaviour plan, you’re not eligible to receive caregiver-mediated early years programs.

Children who are receiving caregiver-mediated early years programs can receive other Ontario Autism Program supports (other than OAP core clinical services), special needs supports and/or early intervention programs at the same time. For example, your child can receive foundational family services or urgent response services at the same time as a caregiver-mediated early years program.

Sign up for programs AccessOAP sends invitations to all eligible families after they register for the OAP. You need to receive an invitation before you can sign up for a caregiver-mediated early years program.

Once you receive an invitation, you can contact service providers to ask questions about the programs they offer and decide which program is best for your child. When you choose the program that’s right for your child, you register directly with the service provider.

Read the list of service providers.

Types of programs Service providers offer one or more of the following six caregiver-mediated early years programs. Eligible families can access these programs for free.

Programs are offered in either a one-on-one format, group format or both. Services may be delivered in person or virtually. The duration of each program can vary. Most programs are offered in either 6-week, 12-week, or 24-week sessions.

To get more information about the programs you’re interested in, you can contact service providers who are offering the programs. You can find out which service providers are offering which programs under the find services section below.

Early social interaction/social communication emotional regulation and transactional supports (ESI/SCERTS) For: children 12 to 36 months (3 years) at start of intervention

In ESI/SCERTS, you will receive coaching and be supported to develop your child’s social communication skills within everyday activities and social activities, such as:

games (peek-a-boo, hide and seek) meals and snacks (setting the table, clean up) caregiving activities (bathing, diaper changes, hand washing) play with toys (blocks, puzzles, play dough, pretend play) family chores (picking up, getting the mail) books (shapes, colours, numbers) transitions from one activity to another The coach will guide and support you throughout the program, helping you engage your child by following your child’s focus of interest and by keeping activities predictable. This is highly motivating for children, and it will help you improve your child’s communication, social skills, play skills, self-help and motor skills.

This program is based on evidence as well as the principles of child development and applied behaviour analysis (ABA).

Joint attention, symbolic play, engagement and regulation (JASPER) For: children 12 to 48 months (4 years) at start of intervention

Joint attention, symbolic play, engagement and regulation (JASPER) trains caregivers about social communication skills. Through JASPER, you will help your child develop targeted skills, including:

gestures for joint attention and requesting (such as pointing, coordinated looks between objects and people, and showing) play diversity and complexity (such as using objects to represent something else in play) social engagement (such as improving the child's engagement with others) behaviour regulation (such as using strategies to handle behaviours that interfere with learning and engagement) verbal communication (such as building on the child’s existing language, while also teaching them new words) The program will show you how to use strategies at home with your child. The program is tailored to the abilities, motivations and needs of each child and caregiver.

Pivotal response treatment (PRT) For: children 12 to 48 months (4 years) at start of intervention

Pivotal response treatment (PRT) is an evidence-based intervention program that uses applied behaviour analysis (ABA) principles. PRT uses your child’s motivation to teach communication and social engagement. You will learn the core strategies of the program so that you can use it in day-to-day routines and interactions with your child.

The program targets many skills, including eye contact, requesting, turn taking, play skills, and how to gain your child’s attention using a range of strategies.

PLAY project For: children 12 to 48 months (4 years) at start of intervention

This program is designed for children:

at all levels of need who communicate at a variety of levels, from no words up to and including sentences The PLAY project is an evidence-based, playful, practical, parent-implemented program that supports the development of social interaction, communication, play and preschool skills in children on the autism spectrum. It is developmentally appropriate and fun, with strategies that you can use in your daily activities with your child.

Project ImPACT For: children 12 to 48 months (4 years) at start of intervention

Project ImPACT (Improving Parents as Communication Teachers) will help you and your child increase social communication, imitation and play skills throughout daily routines.

Highly qualified professionals will coach you as the expert on your child. Together, you and the trainer will develop priority goals and activities to support your child’s learning throughout the day.

Project ImPACT uses a combination of developmental and behavioural strategies to increase social communication skills in four main areas: social engagement, language, social imitation and play.

Social ABCs For: children 12 to 42 months (3 and a half years) at start of intervention and have social communication difficulties

Social ABCs is based on a combination of developmental and behavioural principles and focuses on improving a toddler’s use of vocalizations to communicate and share positive emotions with others. Opportunities for teaching and learning come from your child’s natural interests during playtime and day-to-day caregiving routines.

You will work with a trained coach to learn the intervention strategies in your child’s natural environment, using play-based activities and daily routines that your child finds the most motivating.

Social ABCs is an evidence-based, caregiver-mediated intervention for toddlers.