Page 70 - Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Resource Guide

Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12 Draft
• Coordinated Service Planning will provide children and youth with multiple and/or complex special needs* and their families with the support of a Service Planning Coordinator. This coordinator will help to connect these children and their families with services and supports, and will develop and monitor a Coordinated Service Plan that is responsive to their individual goals, needs, and strengths.
• Rehabilitation services, including speech and language pathology, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, will be integrated so that children and youth with special needs and their families have a seamless service experience from birth through to school exit, and access to a broad range of interventions within a tiered service delivery framework, in accordance with provincial program guidelines.
For a child with multiple and/or complex special needs, a Service Planning Coordinator, in collaboration with the family and the service providers,
will develop a holistic, coordinated service plan that builds on information made available during the screening process. With the consent of the parents, information will be shared among the various providers, educators, and other professionals, so that parents don’t have to repeat their story several times to all those involved. The Service Planning Coordinator, in collaboration with the family, will also keep track of the child’s outcomes
and monitor and update the service plan as appropriate. Where a preschool identification of a child with special needs has been made, the Service Planning Coordinator will work with service providers and educators to plan for the transitions, including the transition to school. The Service Planning Coordinator may also provide information about any potential accessibility- related requirements or other modifications required to facilitate the child’s participation in school. District school boards that provide services and/or supports to children and youth with special needs are expected to participate in Coordinated Service Planning. These school boards will have formal agreements with the coordinating agency regarding information sharing and participating in the Coordinated Service Planning process.
* Children and youth with multiple and/or complex special needs are a subset of children and youth with special needs. These children and youth require multiple specialized services (e.g., rehabilitation, autism, developmental, and/or respite services) due to the depth and breadth of their needs and informed by their families’ needs, strengths, and capacities. They may experience challenges related to multiple areas of their development, including their physical, communicational, intellectual, emotional, social, and/or behavioural development, and may require services from multiple sectors and/or professionals. They may also have ongoing service needs, such as severe physical and intellectual impairments that require the use of technology.
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