Q & A
Program Questions
What kind of program will The Centre for Autism Services Alberta provide for
my child?
The Centre for Autism Services Alberta accesses funding from different
provincial government departments to provide specialized services for children
with autism spectrum disorder. These specialized services may include discrete
trial teaching, natural teaching strategies, learning through play, incidental
teaching, positive behavior support, center or activity based learning,
community based instruction, speech language therapy, occupational therapy and
physical therapy. The Centre for Autism Services recognizes that each child
learns differently and uses these and other appropriate approaches to develop an
individualized program for your child.
Where does the funding come from?
Funding for The Centre for Autism Services program comes from different
sources – Alberta Education, Alberta Children’s Services, private donations and
fundraising activities. The funding sources we are able to access will affect
the type of program we can provide for your child.
Alberta Education provides “Program Unit Funding” (PUF) to create a
specialized learning program for your child. This funding is available to
children with special needs between the ages of 2.5 and 6, and is available for
a maximum of three years.
Alberta Children’s Services through the Family Support for Children with
Disabilities program provides funding for specialized services and other
child-focused services.
How many hours of services, on average, per week, will my child receive?
Hours of services will be dependent on your child’s level of need, we will
provide services as recommended by the MDT panel and FSCD.
What will I need to get the program started?
Your Clinical team will direct you in materials that will be needed for your
child’s program. In addition to materials, a room or location free of
distractions for your child to work will be required.
How often do we meet to review my child’s program?
Service Plan reviews (team meetings) occur approximately every 8 weeks with a
home visit taking place between each team meeting.
Who is on my child’s team?
Your team may consist of an Aide(s), a Behavior Specialist & Team
Coordinator, OT, SLP, PT, Psychologist and a Clinical Consultant depending on
your child’s needs. A Certified Teacher may also be involved if The Centre for
Autism Services is administering the PUF funding.
Do I need to be involved in the programming on a daily basis?
The more involved that a parent is, the more likely it is that learned
concepts will be generalized from the Aide to other people in the child’s life.
The Centre for Autism Services does not expect families to do discrete trial
teaching with their children on a daily basis. However, it does expect that
families assist in maintaining concepts taught, ensuring that concepts have
generalized to other people & environments, purchasing and/or preparing program
materials as directed by the Behavior Specialist & Team Coordinator and Clinical
Consultant and being present for any Consultant visit (for example SLP, OT,
Behavior Specialist & Team Coordinator). There must also be a caregiver in the
home at all times during intervention shifts.
