Component: Children’s Rehabilitation Services

Services Delivered: American Sign Language – Transition to School Service

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017

Service description

The American Sign Language (ASL) - Transition to School (TTS) Service supports coordination and delivery of family-centred evidence-based ASL services for children in the Infant Hearing Program (IHP) across the province with enhanced support for language development through their transition into school.

People served

Services are provided to families with children aged six to eight who are entering publicly-funded elementary school in Ontario and need ASL support during their transition to school. The ASL TTS Service will focus services on children confirmed with Permanent Hearing Loss (PHL) through the screening and assessment program components of the IHP.

Service features

Delivered through a Provincial Agency, the ASL TTS Service supports school-aged children with confirmed PHL and their families who have selected ASL as a language of communication to gain the skills necessary to support language development during their first two years of transition through to school. This service is provided through the role of the ASL Consultant.

Specific service provided

ASL TTS Service may occur anytime during the first two years of a child’s school entry and must be delivered with the inclusion of the following program components:

  • Facilitate the transition from early intervention services to the school system, ensuring continuity of language support and educational accommodations for the child with PHL.
  • Develop individualized plans to support language development, socialization, and academic readiness, focusing on the child’s strengths and areas for growth, in collaboration with families and the school system.
  • Regularly assess the child’s progress in ASL language acquisition and adjust support strategies as needed, with a multidisciplinary team to support the child’s transition through to school
  • Provide families with regular updates on the child’s language development and academic readiness during their transition to school

Services are child and family-centred and support the diverse needs of families in a way that is culturally safe, promotes equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression.

Service goals

The goals of the ASL-TTS Service are to

  • provide young children with confirmed PHL and their families with the necessary intervention services to support their language development and facilitate a smooth transition to school
  • give young children with PHL the opportunity for the best start in school by preparing them for social and academic success to the best of their abilities

Ministry expectations

Services will be:

  • reflective and responsive to child and family strengths and needs
  • accountable to the child and family
  • sensitive to the social, linguistic, geographic, and cultural diversity of families including those of Indigenous communities
  • staffed by individuals with a suitable range of skills and abilities necessary to respond effectively to the needs of children with PHL using ASL and their families

ASL TTS Service providers are expected to:

  • Conduct consultations: Service providers are expected to consult with other clinicians already working with the child (such as behaviour analysts, occupational therapists and/or speech language pathologists) to align development goals and strategies and gather information to support progress of the child’s school transition plan.
  • Collaborate with school boards: Service providers are expected to work closely and collaboratively with their respective school boards in supporting a child’s transition to school by working with the school-based transition team members to participate in the development and implementation of child-specific transition plans that are based on the individual needs of each child. With appropriate consent, service providers will also share information with the school-based transition team members on the child’s progress in the program throughout their transition to school.

Reporting requirements

The following service data will be reported on at an Interim and Final period. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates.

Service data nameDefinition
Ministry-funded Agency Expenditures: ASL TTS ServiceTotal ministry-funded expenses for the Transfer Payment Recipient to administer and/or deliver this service in the Funding Year (cumulative).
# of Individuals Referred (Total): ASL TTS ServiceThe total number of children referred to ASL TTS Service, during the reporting period.
# of Individuals on Wait List (Total): ASL TTS ServiceThe total number of children currently waiting for ASL-TTS Service, following a referral, as of the reporting period. Children on a wait list are those who have not yet been assigned to an ASL Consultant.
Average Wait Time from Referral to Service Initiation (Average # of Days): ASL TTS ServiceThe average number of calendar days waited from referral to the initiation of ASL TTS Service during the reporting period. Service initiation refers to the date of the child's first appointment with an ASL Consultant.
# of Individuals in Active Service (Total): ASL TTS ServiceThe total number of children in active ASL TTS Service, during the reporting period. This refers to the children receiving ASL intervention services and should exclude those not in active services (e.g., on hold, waiting for services).
# of Individuals Discharged from ASL TTS Service (Total): ASL TTS ServiceThe total number of children who are discharged from ASL TTS Service, for any reason, during the reporting period.

A supplementary report providing additional information about these services may be required (reporting template and dates to be provided separately).