Part 1: Context – Early Intervention and Special Needs Modernization

In the 2021 Budget, the Ontario government announced new investments to support children and youth with special needs to live happier and healthier lives.

The government committed an annual investment of $240M over four years, beginning in 2021-22, to increase access to services and assessments for community-and school-based rehabilitation services and the Preschool Speech and Language program.

This investment is part of MCCSS’ vision for early intervention and special needs services:

“Children, youth and young adults with special needs are supported holistically through flexible, individualized and coordinated supports so they can participate meaningfully in school, community and work; can achieve their life course goals; and are set up for success in adulthood.”

To enable the above vision, the ministry has embarked upon several change initiatives under the Early Intervention and Special Needs (EISN) Modernization that will help achieve the following four objectives:

In alignment with the first objective above, SmartStart Hubs, as described in these guidelines, will enable children, youth and their families to receive services as early as possible.

Early intervention and children’s special needs services include services to identify areas of concern or service needs in infants and young children, clinical interventions to support children’s development, and family supports such as caregiver respite. These services are focused on supporting the healthy development and improved functioning of children with a range of special needs, as well as sustaining the capacity of families caring for children and youth with special needs. When children and families are able to access these services in timely, efficient and culturally - responsive ways, children’s short and long-term outcomes improve, and there can be positive impacts on their parents’ wellbeing and ability to participate in the workforce.

Decades of international evidence shows that identifying developmental risks early and providing services that support children’s optimal development help produce the best outcomes and set the stage for greater community and workforce participation.

Research shows that early intervention during the critical window of children’s development (birth to 6 years) supports improved outcomes for children with support needs. The right interventions at the right time can improve cognitive and language abilities and adaptive behaviours. If these developmental needs are not detected until school entry, crucial opportunities for early intervention will have been lost and secondary problems such as depression and behaviour problems are likely to emerge.^{footnote 2[2]}

Supporting children to receive earlier interventions can contribute to more successful transitions into school and help children with special needs to participate in school and access the curriculum more successfully. Improved access to early intervention can also allow children and youth to be supported to live more independently in adulthood.

Early intervention and special needs services can help support the well-being of the whole family. The stress of providing the level of care many children require, can lead to poor outcomes for many parents and caregivers of children with special needs. Parents of children with special needs may be less likely to be employed, experience more stress, and have poor health. ^{footnote 3[3]} Many parents may limit or stop working in order to care for their child with special needs.^{footnote 4[4]}

Providing adequate support to parents and supporting children with special needs to participate in school and community programs enables parents to work and supports their mental health and well-being, which may reduce the risk of family breakdown and lead to fewer children in long-term residential services.

One of the objectives of SmartStart Hubs is to ensure that children’s needs are identified as early as possible, to ensure that children and families are connected to the appropriate services as early as possible in their service journey. The next section will describe the objectives of the Hubs in more detail.