2026–2027 Services delivered: Core Clinical Services

Component: OAP - Core Clinical Services

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017

Service description

Core clinical services and supports in the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) offer interventions and supports designed to respond to the individual needs of children and youth on the autism spectrum, and their families.

OAP core clinical services and supports include:

• applied behaviour analysis
• speech-language pathology
• occupational therapy
• mental health services, including counselling and/or psychotherapy
• technology, program materials and/or therapy equipment at the recommendation of a regulated professional delivering and/or overseeing services to the child.

Families enrolled in core clinical services meet with a care coordinator who guides them through the determination of needs process to identify their child’s strengths and support needs. This process results in a corresponding funding allocation that families can use to purchase eligible core clinical services and supports.

Families may choose to purchase eligible core clinical services and supports from the provider(s) of their choice, as long as the service provider(s) delivering or supervising the core clinical service meets the required qualification requirements as outlined in the core clinical services and supports guidelines. Eligible core clinical services and supports can be delivered and accessed in a variety of settings, including virtually, at home, and/or in the community.

People served

Children and youth under the age of 18 are invited to enter core clinical services in the order that they registered for the OAP.

Program/service features

OAP core clinical services and supports are intended to provide children and youth on the autism spectrum with access to evidence-informed clinical services at a range of intensities that are responsive to their unique strengths, needs, opportunities and goals.

Care coordinators will conduct the determination of needs process (DON), a standardized, clinically informed process, to determine each child’s level of support need and corresponding OAP funding allocation for core clinical services.

A care coordinator will ask a family a series of questions to understand the child's or youth's goals and strengths, as well as their support needs across ten domains including: communication, social interaction, play and leisure, activities of daily living, motor skills, cognitive skills, sensory system, interfering behaviours, mental health, and adaptability and resilience.

The outcome of the DON will identify a child/youth’s intensity of support needs as being extensive, moderate or limited across different age ranges and result in a corresponding OAP funding allocation that families can use to purchase eligible core clinical services and supports. The DON process is completed with each family annually, to reflect a child’s changing support needs over time.

Specific service provided

OAP core clinical services and supports will:

• be planned in partnership with children, youth and their families
• be delivered through a strengths-based approach that empowers families to develop the skills and knowledge to address needs as they arise
• emphasize the development, maintenance and application of skills for children and youth
• support children/youth to meaningfully participate in a variety of settings
• be responsive to cultural, social, geographical and economic diversity and language needs.

Different ways of delivering services may be required to best meet the range of needs, including:

• individual and/or group-based service
• collaboration among all professionals working with the child/youth and family
• consultation with the child, youth and family/caregiver
• family/caregiver capacity building that supports individual strengths and needs (for example, by connecting families/caregivers to corresponding services and resources).

Core clinical services and supports must be delivered or supervised by service provider(s) who meet the qualification requirements as outlined in the core clinical services and supports guidelines.

Program goals

OAP core clinical services and supports will help children, youth and their families achieve the following objectives, based on their individual needs:

• fostering ongoing learning and development in key domains of need
• engaging children/youth to build the skills they need to make meaningful connections and actively participate at home, at school and in the community
• reducing interfering thinking and behaviour that are impacting wellbeing, learning and adaptive functioning
• enhancing the capacity of the parent/caregiver (defined as the legal guardian of the child who is primarily responsible for care and upbringing of the child) and other relevant professionals working with the child/youth, including their knowledge of and skills in using support strategies
• supporting parents and other caregivers and professionals in different approaches that are tailored to their child’s abilities, family needs and contexts
• improving the quality of life of children/youth and their families by supporting their mental health and wellness, dignity, and ability to thrive.

Ministry expectations

The Transfer Payment Recipient will:

• Invite children to enroll in core clinical services based on their date of registration in the OAP.
• Conduct the determination of needs process for children enrolled in core clinical services to determine each child’s level of support need and corresponding OAP funding allocation for core clinical services, annually.
• Issue funding to children/youth enrolled in core clinical services based on the outcomes of the completed determination of needs interview and in accordance with corresponding funding levels directed by the province.
• Employ, manage and train care coordinators to conduct the determination of needs process, provide service navigation support to families and help to coordinate connections and support transition planning based on the changing needs of children and youth.
• Implement accurate and timely reconciliation of core clinical services funding, including reviewing allocations, validating expenditures, and resolving discrepancies to maintain financial integrity and compliance with program requirements.

Reporting requirements

The Recipient will report the following data to the province through interim and final reports as indicated below.

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