Today, June 26th, is the start date for the new Ontario Autism Program. The province has worked closely with families, caregivers, advocates, clinicians and providers to build the new OAP.
Some key features of the OAP include:
- A single point of access.
- Family-centred decision-making.
- Collaborative approach to service.
- Service based on need.
More information on the OAP can be found here: http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/specialneeds/autism/ontario-autism-program.aspx
As this new program rolls out, this also marks the beginning of MacART’s new pilot research project – the Pediatric Autism Research Collaborative (PARC) Project. Together with our local team of clinicians, we are working together to establish an ASD Research Protocol that can be embedded into clinical practice and allow for the ongoing collection of data on all children who receive an ASD diagnosis in our region.
MacART is excited to begin this important work to not only improve our understanding of ASD, but also to improve the individual treatment and clinical care that children receive.