“If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” – Dr. Stephen Shore
School Based (5-12 years)
The school based program is designed to meet the needs of children, between the ages of 5 to 12 years, who have been diagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder. The goal for all children is to work on their strengths and prepare them for integration into the community and whenever applicable their school of enrollment.
Each child who attends our Centre has a specific plan for their individual needs focussing on their strengths and where they need support. We will work with both the families and the child’s home school to ensure that we are all working together to provide the best resources for the child.
Our school-based program does not have an academic component, so children who attend our day program are still enrolled in their home school, which will handle their academics. (Home schools can be physical brick and mortar schools or online schools.) Children attend anywhere from one to five days per week, dependant on the agreements with the family and their home school.
We also provide parent education for all parents and caregivers who have a child registered in our program. A close liaison is maintained between the child’s integrated school placement and Chris Rose Therapy Centre for Autism Society.
We are not an ABA-based program. We use an eclectic variety of therapies depending on the needs of the family and the strengths of the child, which include music therapy, speech therapy, sensory integration and related therapies and life skills training,
Pre-Academics
This program is designed to expose children to pre-academic skills and experiences necessary be successful in a classroom setting. Each child has an individual education plan which focuses on developing cognitive, social-emotional, language and sensory-motor skills. Academic goals are maintained by the child's school of enrollment.
Occupational Therapy
OT works on the development of skills necessary for integration into the family, community and school. The goals for this program are to develop fine and gross motor skills and to help the child’s body to interpret sensory information appropriately. Through therapy, the child is able to sit, attend to tasks and concentrate on developing a higher level of cognitive and problem solving abilities. Children who attend the day program receive weekly Occupational Therapy in groups of two children.
Speech and Language
Speech and language therapy at Chris Rose Therapy Centre for Autism focuses on helping the children communicate in all of their environments by building on their strengths. The children are encouraged to communicate using whatever means are accessible to them. For example, sign language, picture symbols, spoken words or a combination of any or all of these techniques. This program also focuses on social skills development. Children receive speech therapy on a rotational basis for 6 - 7 weeks on then 6 - 7 weeks off.
Music Therapy
Music therapy supports each student’s specific goals. It provides a rhythmical structure through singing, playing instruments, dance and listening. The child’s enjoyment and success increases self-esteem, a growing concept of self, and interest in others. Each child receives at least one session per week in small groups of 2 – 3 children with a music therapist and an educational assistant.
Integrated Physical Program (I.P.P.)
In order to function day to day, it is necessary for us to integrate the sensory system with the cognitive system. For children with sensory dysfunction, this does not occur naturally, which affects the student adversely in adapting to everyday life. The goal of this program is to aid the student in using both the primary sensory system and the higher cognitive systems. These activities encourage the integration of cognitive, social-emotional, communication, problem-solving, and sensory motor skills. Children also participate in relaxation and yoga exercises. Children receive 1 – 3 sessions per week depending on need and days in attendance. Sessions are in groups of 3 with 2 educational assistants.
LIFE SKILLS
The goal of the Life Skills program is to teach the child skills required to be part of his/her family and community. Parents set goals for their child such as brushing teeth, going to the hairdresser, shopping, increasing variety of foods, etc. each child has a Life Skills Specialist who helps develop these valuable skills necessary for increasing independence.
Enrollment:
Our day program works in partnership with the child’s home school to ensure that their individual needs will be met through the programs. If you are interested in enrolling a child in our day program here at the Chris Rose Therapy Centre for Autism, please connect with their school of enrollment to discuss the option. Each school / school district may have their own procedures to follow to ensure the correct department on their end is aware of the situation. For example, if your child is enrolled in School District #73, their school would take that request to the district where it is then evaluated by SD73’s Inclusive Education team.
Children working on a one-to-one or one-to-two basis receive instruction in life skills, play and social integration in additional to other therapies. Their academic goals will be addressed by their home school, be in a brick and mortar school or an online schooling system. A close liaison is maintained between the child’s integrated school placement and Chris Rose Therapy Centre for Autism Society.
Extended Program (6–18 years)
This program is for children aged 6 to 18 who meet the criteria for funding from the Ministry of Children and Family Development through the Autism Funding Program. It provides intensive, goal-oriented intervention services in an environment outside the child’s educational program focussing on the child’s strengths and individual needs. Our extended program takes place in Kamloops, generally between the hours of 3 PM and 5 PM, and is a community based program.
An individualized program is created to match the child’s developmental level and learning strengths and areas of concerns, and the child works one-on-one with one of our staff 1-2 hours per week, days decided on with the family. This is a community-based program, and does not have the same therapies that are offered in the school-based program as it takes place outside the Centre with a behavioural interventionist.
To register for this program, please contact the Centre. This program generally runs from September through June.
Summer Program (5 – 18 years)
This is a recreational based program for children with ASD who have a social worker with the Kamloops CYSN office. The program is offered to children 5 to 18 years of age. Each week, small groups will be determined based on child’s age, common goal areas and required staffing ratio. The staff is experienced in working with children with ASD.
Language, social, sensory and behavioural issues will be considered when developing the program. Activities include hiking, swimming, day trips, crafts, and cooking. Language and behavioural issues are addressed.
The summer program will operate from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., four days a week for seven weeks. If eligible, Autism Funding can be used for this camp for children six years of age and up.
Enrollment is on a limited first come, first serve basis, and the date that enrollment opens is determined by the Ministry of Children and Family Development / Child & Youth With Support Needs (usually mid-April). Due to the limited number of spots, each child can attend up to three weeks.
We are able to answer general questions regarding the program but cannot take any registration requests until the date and time that CYSN has chosen.
Please visit this link to learn more about the dates the program is offered and the registration process.
Community Inclusion Services for Adults with ASD (19 years and up)
This service is designed to meet the needs of individuals with ASD that are 19 years of age or older and clients of Community Living British Columbia (CLBC). Each person receives an individualized service based on the goals and objectives set out by the individual and his or her support network.
Community inclusion services include employment, skill development, and community-based as well as home-based inclusion. The hours for service will be determined by the Service Terms and Conditions for each contract. The hours will depend on the services provided and the goals of the service.
Please connect with your CLBC worker if you are interested in this program.