PDD

Sheila - posted on 07/26/2010

Hi Regina,

I knew as I was writing it that it would make your heart heavy. Canada's universal health care system is administered by the provincial governments. The federal government gives "transfer payments" to each of the provinces, and then the province sets up its own health plan. In Ontario, it is almost as if spectrum disorders are still considered parenting issues in terms of receiving adequate therapuetic supports....I don't know how our members of government (we have a Parliamentary system) can live with themselves...but apparently they do. Parents of children on the spectrum have been fighting the government for many years to get support for our kids.

Children used to age out of ABA therapy at aged six. Of course, you get a diagnosis at age 3, the waiting list for the therapy meant you were almost six by the time you received your therapy...so there was a big fight that happened and FAMILIES WON! Still the waiting list, but at least you know that when your child finally makes it to the top, they will get therapy. Right now, the fight is to get re-imbursed for the time you have been paying privately (we all know that delayed therapy is hope denied...so parents pay out of pocket while on the waiting list...typically around $90/hr). Hopefully the government will start to reimburse for the therapy costs...but it is a long battle.

The one thing I would recommend is if you are still citizens of Isreal when living here, see if the Embassy or the consulate is able to offer support your child needs in order to keep the level of support consistent. This is a long reach, but if you can demonstrate your son's level of need to YOUR HEALTH officials...maybe they can draft a letter in order to access support here without having to go through the hoops...perhaps your family doctor KNOWS a doctor in Toronto, or has contacts to help smooth the transition. Do as much prep work before you land.

Toronto is a beautiful city, but the traffic is horrible! The Hospital for Sick Children is in Toronto and it is a world class facility. They do have a Children's Developmental services department, so that is another resource that you might tap into (however, this hospital is a specialized hospital, so you need a referral from a family doctor to see a doctor there)

Again, good luck. Do as much as you can in Israel to strengthen his foundation so that when you are in Toronto, you will have done as much as you can for your son before landing!

Sheila

Regina - posted on 07/26/2010

Dear Sheila,
Thank you very much for your help. You are amazing. I have to admit that reading your message was very difficult for me. I thought that because Canada has universal health care they will take care of such children that have a great potential but can;t use it. I'm Jew and I will try to check some private Jewish systems but I'm so disappointed I just have no idea what to do. Thank you again for your detailed message. In addition, now I know to appreciate the system we have in Israel more than ever.

Sheila - posted on 07/25/2010

Hi Regina,

Wow, that sounds wonderful...I mean the system you have described in Israel.

I am a kindergarten teacher NORTH of Toronto.

Junior kindergarten begins for a child the year they turn 4...so, this school year, the youngest students in the public school system were born in the year 2006.

The Toronto District school board, because it is so much larger than my board, does have greater resources; however, I have to be honest, an adult/child ratio of 1:2 is not something I have heard of....in nursery school the ratio of teacher:student is 1:8. Then there is ONE resource support teacher (usually). This is ONLY if the nursery school is associated with Community and Social Services and supported by the pre-school program.

A child with PDD-NOS does NOT get the same level of support as a child with classic autism, and more than likely your child will be in a regular classroom where the ratio is more like 1:20. Within the kindergarten class, you will have children of all levels of ability. If there is a child with needs in the class, there will hopefully be a full time educational assistance. EAs typically have a generalized background with an ECE (early childhood education) diploma, or DSW (Developmental Service Worker)..perhaps an RPN (registered practical nurse). EAs I have worked with have been incredible and passionate about supporting the children they work with; however, I have only worked with one EA who had a university degree in a specialized program to work with children on the spectrum (she was from Alberta, where the support is MUCH better).

Your child will come to school. Your school is dependent on the area you live in. toronto is huge, so I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to what school your child will attend! If the needs are significant enough, an IEP will be created. The school has to have an IEP in place by mid-October. This is the Individualized education plan. This plan outlines the program and supports established for your child. Then, toward the end of the school year, or perhaps the kindergarten program (which is considered to be 2 years...Junior and Senior Kindergarten) your school or you might request an IPRC...an Identification and Placement REview committee. The Identification is a formal acknowledgement that your child has a "disorder". The placement can be regular classroom, regular classroom with support, or a specialized classroom. Typically, the school system attempts to support children within the regular classroom. Toronto DOES have more specialized programming, so this will be something your explore with the SERT (special education resource teacher) However, with an IPRC, you can always request a new IPRC to discuss placement if you are not happy.

A child typically qualifies for EA support if:
a) a danger to themselves and/or others (this could be a flight risk, aggressive behaviours, putting things in their mouths so possibly choking, self-injurious)
b) needs toileting assistance/physical care
c) profound delays in communication...non-verbal kids

In Ontario, you will not have insurance coverage to pay for occupational therapist or speech therapists. The government DOES not offer ANY assistance with private speech or OT. The waiting list is quite long for support. Typically, for Occupational therapy you pay $65/half an hour....You need to have $2000 in bills in order to submit it for income tax. Your child may or may not qualify for a federal tax exemption...this is something you will have to find out. Again, classic ASD you do get the tax benefit. You will need to get a family doctor who will then refer you to a pediatrician. You need the pediatrician to give you a letter of diagnosis in order to claim the tax benefit. So, you MIGHT need to get your child rediagnosed for the Canadian government...again, this I am not too sure of...sorry.

In Kindergarten, you may or may not receive support at school. The level of support you receive will be determined once you register your child and the assessments are done.

If your child requires or would benefit from IBI or ABA therapy, your new pediatrician will give you the form to fill out. There is typically a two to three year wait, otherwise you pay for it out of pocket.

I STRONGLY recommend contacting the Geneva Centre OR Kerry's Place to help you with services. Both are agencies that offer support to individuals on the spectrum AND their families. You can also contact Kinark and Newpath family services. I will message you those phone numbers/emails with contact names.

In Toronto, there is an active private Jewish education program. I am NOT at all familiar with the system, and I am not even sure if you are Jewish (but you mentioned Israel)...but, if you are looking into private school, then you would be looking at a completely different set of circumstances. In Canada, publicly funded schools are either secular based OR Catholic schools (has to do with our original system from 1867 when public was actually Protestant...so, two equally funded systems...but one is now secular) So, if you want to look into a private Jewish school, you once again have to pay (this is also the case for any faith based school....except the Catholic system)

The main thing to prepare yourself for is that even though Canada has universal health care, children on the spectrum have fallen through the cracks. Our children's therapists are not supported through the health care system nor through our insurance systems. In Canada, if you have a child on the spectrum, from what I have heard, Alberta is the place to be.

Good luck to you.

Sheila