Page 69 - Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Resource Guide

Draft Part C: Early Identification, Assessment, and Transition Planning
treatment, and caregiver consultation. Services are provided from a
child’s birth to the time the child enters school.
• Blind–Low Vision Early Intervention Program: Provides early
intervention support and education for families with children who are born blind or who have low vision. Specialized family-centred services are available for children from the time of their birth to school entry. These services include:
✧ family supports;
✧ specialized intervention services for the child and family;
✧ consultation for professionals in child care and early learning
environments on how best to work with and teach children who are
born blind or who have low vision.
• Infant Development Program: Provides support and services to families
with young children (from birth to age five) who have a developmental delay or disability. Services are provided in the child’s home and/or community and focus on supporting parents in promoting their child’s early development. Attention is given to the following areas
of development: cognitive, fine and gross motor, social-emotional, linguistic, and self-help.
More information on these initiatives can be found on the website of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.
Another initiative that the Ministry of Children and Youth Services has implemented is the Special Needs Strategy. Introduced in 2014, this strategy involves three other ministries – Education, Health and Long- Term Care, and Community and Social Services. The four ministries are committed to working together with parents, children and youth, service providers, and community partners to enhance outcomes for children
and youth with special needs. The objective is to improve how families of children and youth with special needs – including physical, developmental, and/or communicational needs – can access services in a timely and coordinated way, as close to home as possible.
The Special Needs Strategy aims to improve the service experience of families by implementing the following three key initiatives:
• A new developmental surveillance process will give families who may have a concern about their child’s development access to supports as early as possible. This process will be designed to facilitate conversation between families and trained providers, enhance families’ understanding of their child’s development, and when needed, connect children to the appropriate services.
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