2024–2025 Services delivered: School Support Program

Component: Autism

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017

Service description

The School Support Program (SSP) provides supports to students, families, and publicly funded schools when children and youth registered in the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) are transitioning from clinical settings to school or are enrolled in school and require brief targeted support for in-school transitions.

People served

Children and youth served will meet the following eligibility criteria to receive services through the School Support Program (SSP)

• registered in the OAP who are transitioning from clinical settings to school, including those receiving services from private providers; or
• registered in the OAP who are enrolled in school and require brief, targeted support for in-school transition

Program/service features

SSP services are provided by ASD Consultants and will be available to school boards to assist them in their provision of effective programs and services to autistic students.

Services include:

• child-specific services related to the Connections for Students initiative, supporting the learning needs of specific autistic students  currently entering or enrolled in school
• support for educators to build their skills in working with a specific student in their classrooms
• services that support the successful transition of an autistic student into and within the publicly-funded school system. This may include supports for students transitioning across grades, between schools, and those participating in virtual education or transitioning between virtual and face-to-face learning

Access to the SSP by school boards is negotiated through a local Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) protocol or similar governing agreement and services may only be provided upon completion of a signed MOU between the contracted OAP Transfer Payment Recipient and the school board.

Specific service provided

SSP transition supports should be offered in an individualized and flexible way and respond to the needs identified by school boards and families.

Supports should be prioritized based on the specific needs of children and families being served. Some examples of targeted supports may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• child-specific services covered by the Connections for Students model that support the learning needs of autistic students  entering school or enrolled in school (e.g., Connections for Students transition teams, child-specific consultative services to educators including classroom consultations, and/or building parent capacity to support school transitions)
• support to build the skills of educators working with a specific student in their classrooms, including training and resource development
• brief targeted consultative services that support the successful transition of an autistic student into and/or within the publicly funded school system. This may include supports for students transitioning across grades, between schools, and those participating in virtual education or transitioning between virtual and face- to-face school

Agencies are directed to prioritize SSP services that are child-specific over other types of SSP services that are provided to school boards. Child-specific SSP services support the learning needs of a specific autistic student currently entering or enrolled in school and help to build the skills of educators working with a specific student in their classrooms. They include services that support the successful transition of an autistic student into and within the publicly-funded school system and that help to keep an autistic student in school. This includes all SSP services that support the Connections for Students initiative. Service providers are encouraged to continue to work in partnership with local school boards and families to support the initiation of Connections for Students transition teams, where appropriate, to support transitions for children and youth in a timely manner.

Agencies may continue to provide other types of SSP services to school boards and families of autistic children if they are able to do so within their SSP allocations and without impacting on their ability to provide child-specific SSP services requested by school boards.

Program goals

SSP program goals are to:

• support successful transitions of autistic students by providing transition supports for children and youth transitioning from OAP clinical settings into school
• support the learning needs of a specific autistic student currently entering or enrolled in school
• help build the skills of educators working with a specific student in their classrooms in order to support a successful transition to school

Ministry expectations

Services will be:

• reflective and responsive to student, school board and community strengths and needs
• sensitive to the social, linguistic, geographic and cultural diversity of students, school boards and Indigenous communities
• staffed by individuals with a suitable range of skills and abilities necessary to respond effectively to the needs of school board staff and students on the autism spectrum
• delivered based on the identified needs and preferences of school boards and within available individual, agency, community, and contracted ministry resources

Reporting requirements

Service data will be reported on at an Interim and Final stage. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.