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What to Expect

Our team of professionals understands that embarking on this path with your child may raise a number of questions. With over 20 years of experience providing evidence-based programs and interventions to children and young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Strides Toronto is a leader in this field.

ASD is considered to be a wide spectrum disorder, which means that no two children with autism will experience exactly the same symptoms, and signs and behaviors of autism may vary over time. It is because of this that it is often said that children with autism are like snowflakes – each of them is unique. Fortunately, Strides Toronto offers many treatment options for kids with autism spectrum disorder.

One of the most important components of our work with families is to ensure that we form a cooperative partnership with you and your children, with every member of the team having a clear understanding of his or her role and responsibilities.

Here’s what you can expect as we collaborate:

Strides Toronto staff will:

  • provide your family with the best service possible to meet your needs.
  • treat you with dignity, respect and without discrimination within a safe and secure environment.
  • work with you and your child to develop a unique treatment or service plan for your family and we will regularly review and revise the plan together.
  • take into consideration your child’s and family’s specific needs and identity including race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, spirituality, religion and culture.
  • seek assistance from other community agencies or use interpreters as required to meet your language and cultural needs.
  • provide you with relevant information about our programs so that you can make informed choices about the kind of services you feel you need.
  • strive to provide services that are flexible and responsive to the needs of you and your child.
  • use a supportive approach that will emphasize your child’s and family’s strengths and help build new skills.
  • when needed, use a variety of staff and consultants from different professions (e.g. child and youth workers, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, speech and language pathologists, etc.) to help your family make the best use of treatment and service.
  • help you to understand how your own behaviour and actions might affect your child and family.
  • help you find other resources in the community when necessary; and
  • respect privacy and confidentiality (please see the document on “Privacy and Confidentiality”).

Strides Toronto Autism and Developmental Services asks that you:

  • and your child actively participate in the planning of services that we will provide to your family.
  • attend review meetings when necessary.
  • tell us when you have to cancel or re-schedule your appointment at least 24 hours in advance; and
  • complete an evaluation survey after your service is completed to give us feedback on whether you found our services to be helpful.

Strides Toronto is here to serve your family and other families in the community. We encourage you and your children to share your concerns, ideas and suggestions with us at any time. In fact, we have suggestion boxes in the reception area at our office for you to use. We also have a Parent Binder in our reception area to keep you informed about our agency.

Feel free to explore our in-person and virtual services, designed to empower families and support your child’s growth. For more information, contact us at 416-438-3697, ext. 19055 or email autism@stridestoronto.ca. Let’s take these strides together!