York Region Preschool Speech and Language Program
Service Description

The York Region Preschool Speech and Language Program is described in detail on this page.

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Ministry of Community and Social Services fund the program. Markham Stouffville Hospital administers it.

	Admission Criteria Services Blocked Service Wait For Service Discharge

ADMISSION CRITERIA

• Services children from birth through their junior kindergarten year.
  

• Must live in York Region.

SERVICES

Level 1 and Level 2 Service

Decisions regarding the best model of service delivery for the family are made with respect to the global needs of the child and family. YRPSLP provides two streams of service defined as Level 1 or Level 2.

• Level 1 Service is available to families with children whose primary needs are speech and language.

• Level 2 Service is appropriate if the child has additional needs other than speech and language: i.e. motor, developmental, or significant social interaction deficits, then a team approach to treatment is best.

 

Assessment

• As part of the referral process, families must complete and return the intake package within two (2) weeks of receipt.
  

• Treatment options will be provided to families following an assessment of need. This assessment may be either brief or extensive depending on the complexity and age of the child.
  

• If the child is enrolled with EIS (Early Intervention Services), this assessment may be done in collaboration with the EI (Early Intervention), and / or OT (Occupational Therapist).

 

Treatment

If you require a letter for your employer indicating that your child's speech / language intervention occurs during work hours please ask your clinician.

The YRPSLP strives to provide a range of treatment options for families. Treatment must be efficient and functional. It must include extensive education to and active particiaption by the families to allow for carryover in the child's natural environment. Parents may participate in Parent Workshops and/or Parent Treatment Programs depending on the age and needs of their child. In addition, direct treatment with a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) or a Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA) may be available. Treatment is based on:

i. Severity of disorder:

• MILD delays or disorders - families will be offered relevant parent education and home programming prior to discharge from YRPSLP.
  

• MODERATE and SEVERE delays or disorders - families will be offered relevant parent education and treatment based on type of disorder.

ii. Types of disorders:

• Articulation ( pronunciation )

• Motor speech disorders ( including apraxia )

• Receptive Language ( comprehension )

• Expressive Language ( words and grammar )

• Autistic Spectrum Disorders

• Genetic Disorders

• Global Delays

• Stuttering

• Voice

 

Intensive Intervention

• 4 or 8 week block

• Parents will receive support / coaching to allow them to be active participants in their child's goal selection and therepy sessions.

• Parent Treatment Programs / Workshops are often recommended as the first step in the intervention process.

• A Parent/child Communicating Strategies Group or Let's Get Communicating group may be appropriate for a young child.

• Paired articulation and language therapy is not offered until the child is ready for a more direct approach.

• Treatment is performed in pairs/groups where possible to provide the child with peer modelling and a more realistic therapeutic environment, allowing for earlier transfer of skills from the clinical environment to their real life.

• If a child cannot tolerate a pair/group setting, is not learning in a group setting, or a group cannot be found for the child, then individual therapy may be offered.

• During each block of therapy, families receive training on how to implement suggestions to target the child's goals at home.

• Following a block, children will be on Home Programming. Families are provided with further suggestions to consolidate the skills the child has learned.

Consultation

• Children who are challenged to make weekly gains during an intensive therapy block, are provided with our consultative service. A SLP will provide the family and treatment team (including EI, OT, and childcare) with suggestions to facilitate the development of predetermined speech and language goals.

• Depending on the richness of the team, (i.e. some families have an active EI, trained mediator, and private SLP) the YRPSLP may only need to be involved in the program planning for the child and be available on an as-needed basis.

BLOCKED SERVICE

Assessments and treatment blocks are provided on a scheduled basis.

• Assessment periods are four weeks in duration - March, June, September and December.

• Parent Treatment Programs (e.g. ELF, TW, BTC, MTW and Fluency) extend over the treatment block, and therefore these children/families do not receive intensive service in the following treatment block.

• Families will be provided with home programming to help consolidate the newly learned skills.

• Parent Workshops (i.e. Let's Make Sounds, Connect the Words, Motor Speech) are usually one session in duration and provide families with information to work on while they are waiting for intensive treatment in language and articulation in the next block. These workshops may be attended prior to the intervention block or during.

• Intensive treatment will be initiated with eligible children in the second treatment block following their assessment.

• L2 consultations commence after the relevant parent training.

WAIT TIME FOR SERVICE

To summarize:

• There is a maximum wait of 4 to 6 months for assessment.

• Parent education programs will occur 1 -2 months following the assessment when space is available.

• Consultations commence 3 to 4 months following the assessment.

• Intensive intervention services will require a wait of 3 to 4 months from assessment.

• If a child requires additional treatment following a block, there is a four month period between blocks during which parents will have a home program to work on with their child.

DISCHARGE

Children are discharged from YRPSLP for the following reasons:

• Attending Senior Kindergarten: All children are discharged following their final block of the Junior Kindergarten year.

• Speech and language skills are measured to be mildly delayed or within normal limits: this can be determined at the time of assessment or when the child's skills improve with therapy.

• Family's attendance is poor (i.e. repeated cancellations, 2 no show appointments, and deferring blocks of treatment).

• Family's participation in therapy is poor (i.e. home programming is not done).

• Cannot make contact with the family.