The Ontario Autism Program (OAP) Advisory Committee provides advice to the Ministry of Children Community and Social Services on the design and implementation of the OAP. The Committee is comprised of stakeholders, clinicians, educators, parents of children and youth with ASD, and other experts.

As part of its work, the Committee developed the following Outcomes and Guiding Principles, which are guiding all phases of this transition and form the foundation for the future design of the OAP.

Outcomes

Child, Youth and Family Outcomes

  • All children and youth with autism will have timely access to high quality and evidence-based (where evidence exists) interventions that will optimize long term outcomes.
  • Families will experience services that are effective, well-coordinated, family-centered and responsive to their child or youth’s changing needs in order to maximize their potential and quality of life.
  • Children and youth with autism are supported to attain long-term success and meaningful and active participation in society.
  • Family members are key partners in determining their child or youth’s care; and they will be actively engaged to enable them to acquire skills that support their child’s development.

System Outcomes

The Ontario Autism Program will provide services that are:

  • flexible, relevant and responsive to the needs of individual children and youth with autism. Integrated into the larger service system to allow for seamless transitions and collaboration across multiple providers, schools and care settings as well as all relevant provincial ministries, and their respective services and supports
  • sustainable and obtain maximum benefit and outcomes for resources invested while allocating resources in the most effective way possible
  • high quality, innovative and rooted in evidence-based practice, and delivered by qualified and trained professionals
  • available to children, youth and their families within a timeframe that provides maximum therapeutic benefits

Guiding Principles

Child, youth and family centred services

Children, youth and families are partners and are actively engaged in intervention planning. Evidence-based services are delivered according to a relevant assessment of a child or youth’s needs, strengths and interests and the family’s concerns and priorities. Families will be supported throughout the decision-making process. Informed choice is a key element.

Coordinated and collaborative

Intervention will be integrated and coordinated with other services that a child, youth or their family may be receiving. Families will experience a high degree of inter-professional partnership with mechanisms in place to support information sharing and collaboration amongst services and the community. Collaboration will take place among provincial ministries to support provision of coordinated services.

Flexible and responsive

Children, youth and their families will receive timely and individualized services in accordance with their needs, strengths and goals. The approach to intervention will be guided by an individualized service plan, developed in partnership with the family. Services will be flexible, proactive and continually responsive to the child, youth and families’ needs, recognizing that these needs change over time.

Available and accessible

Children and youth and their families can access the services they need close to home. Services are responsive to cultural, social, geographical and economic diversity and language needs of children, youth and their families. Entry into service will be straightforward and easy to navigate through a single entry point.

Transparency

Decisions regarding access to and provision of service will be transparent to families and other service providers, and information will be shared appropriately.

Continuous quality improvement

Approach to service delivery is outcome oriented and evidence-based. Services are flexible to be responsive to changing evidence and practice, and are accountable through continuous evaluation and monitoring. Capacity-building for families and service providers that incorporates evidence-based strategies and competency-based improvement is an essential component of service delivery.

Equitable and fair

Families with children and youth with autism have an equal opportunity to access equitable services that respond to their individual needs.

Free from conflict of interest

Clinical decisions will be made in the child or youth’s best interest.