The Galloway School Break program offers service during the school holiday, march Break and an 8-week summer program for youth aged 12 to 18 with and Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or a developmental disability. The goal of this service is to provide a brief break for youth and their families in a safe, supportive environment with a family-centered approach. This service involves community access, outings, physical activities and skill development with a focus of socialization and life skills enhancing an individuals capacity and independence.
Steps to access the program:
- Call the program at 416-724-7444
- Set up an intake appointment to discuss the program, its cost structure, suitability and interest
- Complete required paperwork; support to complete can be provided
Registration for Summer 2024 is OPEN!
AYCES School Break Respite program operates during the festive holidays, March Break and 8 weeks during the summer. The AYCES Program provide a brief break with a flexible family/youth centered approach, providing a safe fun space to get to together with their peers. The program’s focus is community access and independence, commuting to and from community activities with the TTC, participating in community events and activities. This service strives to promote independence, encouraging the development and maintaining of a peer network, empowering them build their capabilities, with the goal of enhancing their social and life skills development.
How to Enroll
- Call the program at 416-724-7444
- Set up an intake appointment to discuss the program, its cost structure, suitability and interest
- Complete required paperwork *support to complete can be provided
Registration for Summer 2024 is OPEN!
Our clinical team includes experienced Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and Registered Behaviour Analysts in good standing with the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario. This service is OAP approved for Core Clinical Service. Our team of experts will work with you and your family in developing individualized services and supports to meet the needs of your child/youth with ASD.
Family-centred care is the fundamental basis of service delivery within Strides Toronto’s Autism Services. This approach values parents and caregivers as experts on their child and as key decision makers in their child’s interventions. It also recognizes their lifelong commitment to their child’s learning and wellness.
This service is for children and or youth who require individualized support across a few learning domains and teaches essential skills based on your child’s individual needs. It involves one-to-one sessions with a behavior therapist and may include small group instruction if appropriate. Areas of focus are identified in collaboration with caregivers and may include communication, social/play skills, learning readiness, daily living skills, self regulating, and management of challenging behaviour. Goals and session durations are personalized for your family’s needs.
For more information about the 1 to 1 ABA service, please contact 416-438-3697 ext. 19055 or email autism@stridestoronto.ca.
Foundational Family Services is a part of the new needs-based Ontario Autism Program (OAP) designed to provide families and caregivers a range of evidence-based services to support their child and youth’s learning and development. Foundational Family Services will be individualized and responsive to families’ changing needs over time.
All families registered in the OAP are eligible to receive these services and supports at no cost. Strides Toronto is pleased to be offering Foundational Family Services in a variety of formats including virtual, and in-person services. You can choose to access these services at any point based on your family’s needs. There are no limits to the number of times you can register for these services.
We offer a wide range of Foundational Family Services. Coaching is integrated into our various services to support parents and caregivers to implement the recommended strategies and transfer skills.
These services and supports may include:
Workshops and Coaching Sessions
We offer a variety of virtual education opportunities on a wide range of topics. Workshops will be delivered online either through video links or through our Zoom Healthcare video conferencing platform.
Brief Targeted Consultation
This brief service includes parent/caregiver coaching and strategies using Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) principles to address your child/youth’s individual strengths, needs, and goals. Consultations will be offered by phone or by video through our secure Zoom Healthcare platform to help address a specific goal.
Transition Supports
We provide supports and services to promote a smooth transition into the school system and the broader community.
Family Resource and Clinic Days
We have an established parent education curriculum, including training packages to support social communication and behaviour management. Strides Toronto encourages active parent and caregiver engagement and participation to better support your child/youth’s needs.
For more information about Strides Toronto’s Foundational Family Services, please contact 416-438-3697 ext. 19055 or email autism@stridestoronto.ca.
Group-based ABA Services are OAP approved for Core Clinical Service and focus on skill-building in the areas of communication, social skills, self-help skills or emotional regulation/group readiness skills. Individualized goals are selected based on assessment results and in collaboration with family goals.
Our clinical team includes experienced Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). Our team of experts will work with you and your family in developing individualized services and supports to meet the needs of your child/youth with ASD.
Family-centred care is the fundamental basis of service delivery within Strides Toronto’s Autism Services. This approach values parents and caregivers as experts on their child and as key decision makers in their child’s interventions. It also recognizes their lifelong commitment to their child’s learning and wellness.
We offer a variety of in-person and virtual services (VS) and Core Clinical resources to support families. Our VS are offered by phone or by video through our secure Zoom Healthcare platform.
Behaviour Consultations
Individualized consultation services are for families looking for support on a specific goal. Behaviour Consultations includes coaching and strategies using Applied Behaviour Analysis principles (ABA) to address your child individual strengths, needs, and goals. Behaviour consultations will include clinical assessments to obtain information, and individualized Behaviour Intervention Plan, and parent training. Topics may include behaviour reduction, toileting, sleep, community outings, or a specific goal of your choice. Coaching is available to support parents and caregivers in implementing recommended strategies to help with long-term outcomes and to help transfer skills. Parents attend all Consultation Services sessions. Consultations are offered by phone or by video through our secure Zoom Healthcare platform. Depending on the goal and your family’s needs, consults are offered in 6 and 12-week durations.
For more information about Behaviour Consultations services, please contact 416-438-3697 ext. 19055 or email autism@stridestoronto.ca.
Our Galloway Saturday Respite program offers a range of accessible relief services for youth aged 12 to 18 and adults aged 18 to 35 with a developmental disability or an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The goal of these services is to provide quality and flexible family centred programming that promotes the development of both social and life skills to the young adults who attend.
Access to service is based on an individual’s plan, family’s changing needs and availability. To be eligible all participants will have to complete a respite plan that meets our service criteria. This plan is reviewed yearly by staff and the family and/or individual. Available during breaks in the school year.
Steps to access the program:
- Call the program at 416-724-7444
- Set up an intake appointment to discuss the program, its cost structure, suitability and interest
- Complete required paperwork; support to complete can be provided
The AYCES Saturday Respite program operates two alternating Saturdays a month for youth 12 -18 with a Level 1 autism spectrum disorder. A goal of the AYCES Saturday Program is to provide a brief break with a flexible family/youth centered approach, providing a safe fun space to get to together with their peers. This service strives to engages youth, encouraging the development and maintaining of a peer network, empowering them build their capacity, enhancing their social and life skills through community access and social activities.
How to Enroll
- Call the program at 416-724-7444
- Set up an intake appointment to discuss the program, its cost structure, suitability and interest
- Complete required paperwork *support to complete can be provided
Rapid and personalized care to support children with autism to keep themselves from harm as well as their loved ones.
Children with autism are particularly vulnerable to harm, including inappropriate behaviours, negative thoughts, and physical aggression. Safety is a critical issue among their families and caregivers. Our new Urgent Response Service provides timely services to address a specific need, designed to prevent risk escalation to self, others, and/or property. Children and their families can receive up to 12 weeks of personalized services and support, which may include:
- Short-term consultation with a child’s intervention team, caregivers and educators
- Respite services
- Direct support to the family and professionals involved to implement behaviour therapy with the child using a mediator model approach.
Each child and family will have an Urgent Response Service Coordinator working with them to develop and oversee the service plan. The coordinator will also provide service navigation to other services within or outside the Ontario Autism Program.
If you have additional questions, contact Surrey Place at 1-833-575-KIDS (5437) or childrens.registration@surreyplace.ca
Referral Details
All referrals are welcome. Families can self-refer or can be referred by a clinician, care coordinator or other relevant professionals. Upon referral, you will be screened to determine if you are eligible.
Eligibility Details
- Ages: 0 to 18 years
- Must have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Registered in the Ontario Autism Program (OAP).
- Showing one of the following high-risk behaviours that have escalated in intensity over the last 14 days:
- Suicidal ideation or behaviour
- Violent thinking
- Fire starting
- Harm to animals
- Risk of exploitation
- Self-injurious behaviour
- Aggression
- Inappropriate sexual behaviour
- Flight risk
- Property destruction
The Galloway After School Program (GASP) is a socialization, life skills, and activity group for adolescents and young adults in East Toronto who have been diagnosed with Autism or a mild to moderate developmental challenge.
Participants will learn life skills such as cooking, street-safety, hygiene, managing and understanding emotions, and healthy relationships. GASP helps meet individual needs and provides a safe, structured, and fun environment where they can learn and develop more independence skills. Activities and outings encourage a sense of cooperation, responsibility, and achievement.
The program operates under the principles of ABA to understand behaviour and to help develop goals for the youth, with a focus on learning and the enhancement of social and life skill development. Youth are assigned Primary Workers are responsible for the ongoing monitoring on the progress of goals.
The program runs two afternoons a week during the school year – approximately seven hours per week. The staffing ratio is one staff member per four youth.
Steps to access the program:
- Call the program at 416-724-7444 or Fahmida.momen@stridestoronto.ca to start the intake process
- Set up an intake appointment to discuss the program, its cost structure, suitability and interest
- Complete required paperwork; support to complete can be provided