About Social ABCs
CHEO's Autism Program is pleased to announce the Social ABCs program, starting Summer 2021!
This evidence-based program is an exciting new opportunity for young children with autism to develop their communication and social skills in a natural way — through play, individual interests and existing family routines.
This program will be delivered by CHEO's ABA-trained staff over the course of six weeks. Each week, children and their caregivers will participate in 1:1 coaching strategies to address their individualized needs as well as caregiver group sessions, for information sharing, peer-support and education. The Social ABCs program is available in French and English for families living in:
- Eastern Region of Ontario including: Stormont-Dundas and Glengarry, Prescott and Russell, Ottawa and Renfrew
- Central Region of Ontario specifically: Dufferin/Wellington, Waterloo – to provide French Early Years Services only
"Everything about the program was so laid back and non-judgmental. I was never made to feel like I wasn't doing something right. Logan has had so much success with the Social ABCs program and can now say so many new words. It has been so successful for our family. "
- Tara, Social ABCs parent
Why Social ABCs?
When you choose autism services at CHEO, you will access:
The Social ABCs program is an evidence-based Naturalistic Developmental Behavioural Intervention. This means we look for natural opportunities to develop skills and resolve challenging behaviours, like when your child is playing, participating in family routines or engaging in hobbies they enjoy.
As your child’s primary caregiver, you are the expert. Through the Social ABCs program, our ABA-trained staff will support you in this role, helping you learn strategies to motivate your child, build on their interests and make use of natural opportunities for your child to learn and develop.
Together, you and your child can expect to:
- become more successful at home, school and the community
- build communication skills
- develop emotional regulation skills (both caregiver and child)
- learn strategies to manage challenging behaviours
- practice sharing positive emotion
- learn strategies to encourage play
- learn how to support social routine
- learn strategies to practice caregiver self-care
- our team of ABA-trained staff
- programs designed in collaboration with CHEO's Autism Family Advisory Committee
- a multi-disciplinary team, supported by the might of CHEO's One Team approach
- the choice of virtual / in-person or hybrid delivery options
- the choice of service in English or French
- flexible service times including evenings, weekends,
- opportunities to participate in other autism services to support your child and family
How to register
We are currently accepting applications for the next Social ABCs session which starts in August 2021.
The Social ABC's program is available for:
- children who are 42 months of age or younger
- children registered with the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) who have received their invitation letter
- children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
If you have any questions, please call our Autism Team at (613) 249-9355 ext. 444 or email us at autismemail@cheo.on.ca.