Special Educational Needs Schools (Autism)

[amy1991]

Hi everyone,

My family of 4 are looking to move from London UK to St Catharines OT next year on an express visa. Our son is 4yo Autistic and non-verbal (and completely awesome). We are having some trouble getting clear information about schooling for Autistic children which isn't private (might be too expensive for us depending on what salary we get) so we need to look into public options.

Most of the school websites don't have much information and we are coming out in April 2023 for a holiday/fact finding mission so want to make some appointments at schools if possible.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Naturgrl]

Hi everyone,

My family of 4 are looking to move from London UK to St Catharines OT next year on an express visa. Our son is 4yo Autistic and non-verbal (and completely awesome). We are having some trouble getting clear information about schooling for Autistic children which isn't private (might be too expensive for us depending on what salary we get) so we need to look into public options.

Most of the school websites don't have much information and we are coming out in April 2023 for a holiday/fact finding mission so want to make some appointments at schools if possible.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

You will need to contact your local school boards - public, catholic, French public, French Catholic. There are no special needs schools, unless you find a private school. Your child will most likely be in a regular classroom with educational assistant support. Or a special needs classroom, if the school board offers such programs. However, there may be waitlists. Support is determined by the needs of the child. Your child will have an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The IEP cannot be developed until your child is registered and attending the school. So you can meet with schools in your area, and register the child but IEP will be developed in September once the child starts attending. Don’t expect much support as it is dependant on the budgets of schools and its boards.

If your child requires any testing (psychological, speech, OT etc), then pay out of pocket. You will wait years for testing within school boards. Look at the Ontario Autism Program to see what programs (waitlists/funding) are available and what assessments are required to register. You may wait years for funding. Most people pay out of pocket while waiting for funds. If your child requires speech or OT, start researching now and get on waitlists (if there are waitlists). Social groups may be available - at a cost.

Autism Ontario is a non profit that provides resources. Ontario Autism Program is run by the provincial government.

https://www.autismontario.com/

 

[scylla]

Hi everyone,

My family of 4 are looking to move from London UK to St Catharines OT next year on an express visa. Our son is 4yo Autistic and non-verbal (and completely awesome). We are having some trouble getting clear information about schooling for Autistic children which isn't private (might be too expensive for us depending on what salary we get) so we need to look into public options.

Most of the school websites don't have much information and we are coming out in April 2023 for a holiday/fact finding mission so want to make some appointments at schools if possible.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

You may want to read through this link. Your son is still a bit young for this program but it sounds like he would be five next year when you come here so maybe not that far away:

https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-autism-program-entry-school-program

Good luck with the move.

 

[Naturgrl]

You may want to read through this link. Your son is still a bit young for this program but it sounds like he would be five next year when you come here so maybe not that far away:

https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-autism-program-entry-school-program

Good luck with the move.

Just to note, to be eligible for this program then your child must be registered with the Ontario Autism Program. Your child cannot be invited to the program until you are living in Ontario and have an official diagnosis from a qualified professional.

 

[amy1991]

You will need to contact your local school boards - public, catholic, French public, French Catholic. There are no special needs schools, unless you find a private school. Your child will most likely be in a regular classroom with educational assistant support. Or a special needs classroom, if the school board offers such programs. However, there may be waitlists. Support is determined by the needs of the child. Your child will have an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The IEP cannot be developed until your child is registered and attending the school. So you can meet with schools in your area, and register the child but IEP will be developed in September once the child starts attending. Don’t expect much support as it is dependant on the budgets of schools and its boards.

If your child requires any testing (psychological, speech, OT etc), then pay out of pocket. You will wait years for testing within school boards. Look at the Ontario Autism Program to see what programs (waitlists/funding) are available and what assessments are required to register. You may wait years for funding. Most people pay out of pocket while waiting for funds. If your child requires speech or OT, start researching now and get on waitlists (if there are waitlists). Social groups may be available - at a cost.

Autism Ontario is a non profit that provides resources. Ontario Autism Program is run by the provincial government.

https://www.autismontario.com/

Thank you for such an informative reply

 

[amy1991]

You may want to read through this link. Your son is still a bit young for this program but it sounds like he would be five next year when you come here so maybe not that far away:

https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-autism-program-entry-school-program

Good luck with the move.

Thank you so much for the reply, I have sent them an email for some information

 

[scylla]

Just to note, to be eligible for this program then your child must be registered with the Ontario Autism Program. Your child cannot be invited to the program until you are living in Ontario and have an official diagnosis from a qualified professional.

Agreed. But the timing of this should be pretty straigh-forward for the OP given they will arrive when the child is either 4 or 5. So that will allow them to be residents and complete the diagnosis step to qualify.

 

[canuck78]

Just a warning that you are likely looking for years before you qualify for services. If you have good support now I would seriously look at whether moving is a good idea.

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/08/13/ontario-autism-program-rollout/
https://capitalcurrent.ca/waiting-for-the-dough-one-ontario-familys-life-in-limbo-on-the-list-for-autism-services/

 

[Naturgrl]

Just a warning that you are likely looking for years before you qualify for services. If you have good support now I would seriously look at whether moving is a good idea.

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/08/13/ontario-autism-program-rollout/
https://capitalcurrent.ca/waiting-for-the-dough-one-ontario-familys-life-in-limbo-on-the-list-for-autism-services/

The wait list is atrocious in Ontario and know families who moved provinces to access services especially families who can’t afford it.

 

[amy1991]

The wait list is atrocious in Ontario and know families who moved provinces to access services especially families who can’t afford it.

Thanks for all the replies

We don't have fantastic services here in the UK to be honest in terms of wait times for NHS funded SLT, OT, etc. We have been waiting for certain things for over 2 years currently.

But we do have fantastic public special needs schools which is what we primarily want for him in Canada. We have a similar system in seems in terms of what you call an IEP We have a EHCP (educational health care plan). My main concern is that he won't cope in a public school and may need private special school which we might not be able to afford.

 

[Naturgrl]

Thanks for all the replies

We don't have fantastic services here in the UK to be honest in terms of wait times for NHS funded SLT, OT, etc. We have been waiting for certain things for over 2 years currently.

But we do have fantastic public special needs schools which is what we primarily want for him in Canada. We have a similar system in seems in terms of what you call an IEP We have a EHCP (educational health care plan). My main concern is that he won't cope in a public school and may need private special school which we might not be able to afford.

There are no “special needs public schools.” in Ontario, as children on the spectrum or with any disability are mainstreamed into your local public school. Once you are registered, your child’s needs will be assessed. Few children receive 1:1 support as schools don’t have budgets for it. If there are several kids on the spectrum in your school, the Education Assistant is allocated to several children per day. There may be a separate class or sensory room in the school for the EA to work with the students. If lucky, there is a teacher but usually and EA. I don’t know of any “stand-alone” public schools in Ontario. Maybe Toronto area and I am sure the waitlist would be years.

OHIP doesn’t cover SLT, OT or any assessments. You need to pay out of pocket or have some of it covered by private, work insurance.

You really need to research schools before moving. Research private schools too but expect tuition of about $20k per year on the low end. And again, you may need to decide you need to live in the area of the private school, or live in the catchment area of the specific public school you want your child to attend.

 

[amy1991]

Really appreciate all the information. Seems like we need to do a bit more research. Maybe Ontario isn't for us (shame because best for us jobs wise but our son will always come first) maybe we need to look into some other places in Canada that possibly have better education resources for our son.

 

[Naturgrl]

Really appreciate all the information. Seems like we need to do a bit more research. Maybe Ontario isn't for us (shame because best for us jobs wise but our son will always come first) maybe we need to look into some other places in Canada that possibly have better education resources for our son.

In Canada, education is a provincial not federal responsibility. You have to research each province to see what autism programs they support and provide. There will be waitlists. Then you need to look at each individual public school board and find out their specific programs and services. Again, you probably will not find a stand alone public special needs schools. You may find a school with a designated classroom for students with disabilities (it may not just be for children on the spectrum). Again, there may be waitlists for that classroom. If you want a school then research private schools with tuition from $20-36k per year.

Also you may need to have your child assessed by a Canadian qualified professional (psychologist) to access services. Again waitlists for private assessments can be a year or you travel to another part of Canada to complete the assessment. Prepare to pay out of pocket and estimate between $3-5k. If you have private work insurance through Canadian employer then some of it may be covered. You may want to research this area too.

 

[canuck78]

Really appreciate all the information. Seems like we need to do a bit more research. Maybe Ontario isn't for us (shame because best for us jobs wise but our son will always come first) maybe we need to look into some other places in Canada that possibly have better education resources for our son.

Every province currently have waitlists. You’re going to have to go to the end of the line if you move to Canada after waiting 2 years in the UK. Getting a GP can also be a huge issue especially in certain areas of Canada. Something else you’
l need to consider if your family has medical needs. Thankful for public healthcare but the pandemic has really pushed the system over the edge not unlike in the UK.

 

[niha76]

There is currently wait time of 12 months to see a pediatric neurologist to get a diagnosis.after u get the diagnosis there is another wait list of several month say 6-8 months to get the services like therapies.meanwhile there is funding for the pr n citizen to cover the cost of therapies which is usually a year ,during these waiting many prefer to pay from their pockets.school wise once u r registered for austism services u get an invitation from goverment approved special need kindergarden once the kid turns 4(this happens if u r enrolled in autism service) and once kid turn 6,he goes to regular school with IEP.