In Ontario, families can either receive ABA services through
their local
regional provider, or they can receive funding to purchase behavioural
services through a private provider. Behaviour programs play a large part in
family life, so its important parents find a clinical team that fits best with
their family.
The Ontario Autism Program has put together the following Family
Guide to OAP Clinical Teams to help families identify qualified
providers. Families should also connect to Ontario Association for Behaviour
Analysis (ONTABA), for information regarding ABA services in Ontario.
ONTABA is the professional association for behaviour analysts in Ontario and an
Affiliate Chapter of the Association for Behaviour
Analysis International (ABAI).
A range of clinical staff may be involved in the supervision
and delivery of ABA services in the OAP. Please see below for a summary of the
OAP Clinical
Staffing Requirements for each team member, in addition to their role
on the team:
Clinical Supervisors are accountable for overseeing all
aspects of a child/youth's OAP Behaviour Plan, in close collaboration with
families, therapists, and inter-professional partners.
Clinical Supervisor Requirements include:
Front Line Therapists are often part of the clinical team.
These include Senior Therapists and ABA Therapists.
Senior Therapists are responsible for implementing
services outlined in the Behaviour Plan. They may be designated by the Clinical
Supervisor to provide supervision and training to ABA Therapists, and may also
be involved in the development of the Behaviour Plan than ABA Therapists would
be. Senior Therapists must receive ongoing supervision from a Clinical
Supervisor.
Senior Therapist Recommended Qualifications include:
Required
All Front-Line Therapists delivering services in the OAP
must have a Vulnerable Sector Screening/Check
Recommended
At least one of the following credentials:
ABA Therapists are responsible for implementing
services outlined in the Behaviour Plan. They must work under the supervision
of a Clinical Supervisor.
ABA Therapist Recommended Qualifications include:
Required
All Front-Line Therapists delivering services in the OAP must
have a Vulnerable Sector Screening/Check
Recommended
At least one of the following credentials:
At minimum, a Clinical Supervisor must be involved with each
child/youth receive ABA services. The clinical team may also include front line
staff, including a Senior Therapist and/or ABA Therapist. The type and amount
of clinical team members will depend on the child/youth’s treatment goals.
What do we currently have in Ontario in terms of education
and training opportunities in autism and ABA, particularly in the area of early
intervention?
The Ontario Government has launched a recruitment campaign
to attract and retain professionals to work in the Autism field in Ontario. In
its effort to build capacity to meet the long-term needs of the Autism
Intervention Program in the Province, the Ministry of Children and Youth
Services created the Grant
Assistance Program for Autism Intervention Program Professionals to
assist with funding of academic studies as part of professional development for
staff of publicly-funded agencies.
There is an organization based in the United States that
provides international certification to professionals in the ABA field. The
Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) is a non-profit corporation created
to meet professional credentialing needs identified by behavior analysts,
government, and consumers of behaviour analysis services. The Board certifies
practitioners at four levels:
Please review the BACB website to learn more about the qualifications. The site also contains
valuable information about guidelines for responsible conduct and ethical
practices for Behavior Analysts. The information on the site is useful for
families to get an idea of what credentials to look for in ABA professionals
and what to expect from them.