Stittsville News & Kanata Kourier-Standard

New outreach program for autism

July 27, 2009

By John Curry

"When everyone works together, things happen and this is what has brought about a new free autism outreach program in Stittsville.

This new program is the result of a collaboration and joint effort involving Autism Ontario's Realize Community Potential Program, Portia Learning Centre, QuickStart and Here We Play Again, a Stittsville business.

Autism Ontario is a leading source of information and referral on autism and is one of the largest collective voices representing the autism community. Portia Learning Centre has as its mission to provide the Ottawa area with high quality intensive educational programs based on the principles of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) which is also known as Intensive Behavioural Intervention. QuickStart is an organization which advocates early intervention in the treatment of autism. It works in partnership with the Ottawa Children's Treatment Centre to provide a free pre-diagnosis service. However, after diagnosis, there is still a long waiting period for the government funded intensive treatment through the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. This new program is targeting the children aged 1 to 6 who are awaiting these services. Here We Play Again is a children's play centre located in the Stittsville Shopping Centre at 1300 Stittsville Main Street in Stittsville.

The new drop-in program is now operating on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., having begun on Thursday, July 9. Half hour appointments are being allocated on a first come, first served basis. Families can attend as often as they like at these Tuesday and Thursday afternoon sessions. Families arriving at Here We Play Again for the sessions will find a sign up sheet at the front desk to sign up for the half hour session with a therapist. After registering, families can then proceed to the play area and will be called when the therapist is ready for the session.

The new service is targeted at children aged one to six who are newly diagnosed with autism but who are awaiting treatment. However, any family with a child between the ages of one to six may attend this program, even without a diagnosis, if help is needed or if the family wishes to speak with a therapist or the Autism Ontario representative. Some families may wish to attend in order to connect with other families for ongoing support.

For this new program, Portia Learning Centre is providing trained ABA therapists as well as a Senior Therapist. These therapists will answer questions during the individual appointments that are specific to the child's needs. The therapists will also demonstrate effective teaching techniques to promote language acquisition and behavioural procedures.

Autism Ontario will be on hand to provide information kits and to provide visual aids for the family to take home. Autism Ontario will also be providing resources and support for affected families.

The program will be running on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the rest of July. In August, there will be no therapists available on Aug. 4 or Aug. 6. However, families are still welcome to meet at Here We Play Against between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to support one another. On Tuesday, Aug. 11 and Thursday, Aug. 13, there will be French sessions with Autism Ontario. The English drop in sessions will resume on Tuesday, Aug. 18 and will continue through the rest of August. The September dates for the program are still to be confirmed.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. It is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain. Autism impacts the typical development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Children and adults with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions and leisure or play activities."