Ontario Autism Program: core clinical services
Learn about core clinical services for children and youth registered in the Ontario Autism Program and find out when more children will enter these services.
Overview
Core clinical services is one of the streams of support for children and youth registered in the Ontario Autism Program. Based on your child's individual needs, these OAP core clinical services can 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
Children and youth will be invited to enter core clinical services in the order that they registered for the Ontario Autism Program. After you accept your invitation, an AccessOAP care coordinator will guide you through the process to determine your support needs and funding for core clinical services and supports.
AccessOAP, the OAP’s Independent Intake Organization:
- is responsible for inviting children and youth to enter core clinical services
- issues funding to families and individuals to purchase core clinical services
- offers service navigation and family support
- checks expenses that families and individuals submit against funding they’ve received
If you haven’t received an invitation from AccessOAP to enter core clinical services, you may be eligible for other streams of OAP supports, including:
- foundational family services
- caregiver-mediated early years programs
- entry to school program
- urgent response services
When children and youth will enter core clinical services
Children and youth will be invited to enter core clinical services in the order that they registered for the Ontario Autism Program. This was recommended by the Ontario Autism Advisory Panel.
AccessOAP is responsible for inviting children and youth to enter core clinical services. You must have an AccessOAP account to receive an invitation to enter core clinical services. If you need help creating your AccessOAP account, please contact AccessOAP:
Guidelines for core clinical services and supports
Read the detailed guidelines for people who receive funding for core clinical services and supports through the Ontario Autism Program. The guidelines list eligible and ineligible expenses for your funding allocation.
Report your expenses
As part of getting an OAP funding allocation for core clinical services, you must report your expenses.
How you report your expenses depends on who sent you your funding allocation.
Funding allocation from AccessOAP
If you received your funding allocation from AccessOAP, you can report your expenses through your AccessOAP account. If you need help with reporting your expenses, please contact AccessOAP:
Funding allocation from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services
If you received your funding allocation from the ministry through the launch of core clinical services in 2021-22, you must submit the following to the ministry:
- an expense form
- all required documentation (such as an attestation form or a letter of recommendation for eligible supports)
The expense form reports, categorizes and summarizes how you spent the funding so we can reconcile it.
You must report your expenses before you can receive your next payment. This requirement applies whether you receive a single payment or multiple payment installments in one year.
Use the version of the core clinical services expense form that’s right for you:
- Downloadable PDF version allows you to save a copy of the form on your device so that you can take as much time as you need to fill out the form or track your expenses as you spend your funding. This requires Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or above.
- Online/HTML version works well if you can complete the form in a single sitting, as you cannot save a copy of an online form. We recommend using any web browser other than Internet Explorer.
You must keep all original records of your expenses, such as receipts and invoices, as well as any supporting proof of payment, including debit, credit card or PayPal statements, for seven years from the date shown on the invoice or receipt. If we audit you, we might request these documents.
If you have questions about submitting an expense form to the ministry, please contact the ministry’s Central Resource Team:
Submitting a letter of recommendation with your expense form
To claim expenses for technology, program materials and/or therapy equipment on your core clinical services expense form, you must submit the invoice for these expenses with a letter of recommendation from your service provider.
The core clinical services providers who are delivering and/or overseeing your child’s services write the letter of recommendation. Your provider must be a regulated professional who meets the qualification requirements for professionals delivering core clinical services through the OAP.
By providing a letter of recommendation, providers accept responsibility for directly supporting or supervising your child’s treatment plan to make sure the goals and outcomes are achieved by using the recommended equipment and items.
A regulated professional is a member in good standing of one of the following colleges:
- College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
- College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario
- College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario
- College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario
- Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers
- College of Nurses of Ontario
The letter of recommendation must include information about:
- Your child:
- full name
- OAP registration number
- date of birth
- The recommending professional:
- full name
- employer or company name
- address and contact information
- professional designation (such as, Registered Behaviour Analyst, Speech-Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Psychologist, Psychological Associate, Psychotherapist, Nurse, Physician or Social Worker)
- OAP core clinical service category (such as, applied behaviour analysis, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, mental health – counselling and/or psychotherapy)
- licence number
- signature
- Each recommended technology, program material and/or equipment:
- date of recommendation
- item(s) name
- item(s) type (technology, program material or equipment)
- how the item will support the goal(s) identified in the child or youth’s treatment plan
Learn more about required documentation
To learn more about documentation that you may need to submit with your expense form, please read about eligible expenses in our guidelines for core clinical services and supports. The “technology purchase” and “program materials and/or therapy equipment” sections include more details.