The South Okanagan Assessment Program recognizes that early intervention improves outcomes and is committed to providing autism assessments free of cost to families facing financial hardship. While we would like to be able to assess all children awaiting autism assessments, we have strict referral criteria in place due to limited program capacity. Please help us to support this program so that we can increase capacity in the future.
Our process:
All referrals must be received by School-Based Teams in School Districts 53 and 67. School-Based Teams identify children who meet program criteria and if parents would like to move forward with the assessment, they are asked to sign a Release of Information Form.
Criteria:
- Children 6 years of age and over.
- Families with incomes below $80,000/year or limited financial resources.
- A strong suspicion of autism, with at least two behavioral indicators, such as difficulty with social skills and social communication, repetitive movements or behaviors, fixed interests, sensory sensitivities or sensory-seeking behaviours, or rigidity.
- Children unable to attend school full-time without 1:1 support, or without more support than is currently available.
Please note: Some children may meet these criteria but following referral, be declined for SOAP assessment due to complexity. While our pediatrician/Speech Language Pathologist team are skilled and experienced, they are best suited for cases where autism spectrum disorder is the primary suspected diagnosis. They may not be able to provide optimal assessments of children with multiple or complex diagnoses, which may be better assessed by a psychiatrist or psychologist.