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Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Program

Families who have participated in this Early Social Interaction/Social Communication Emotional Regulation and Transactional Supports (ESI/SCERTS) program tell us it has changed their children’s lives!

Accessing the Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Program

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS), through the Ontario Autism Program (OAP), is inviting some families of children with a diagnosis of Autism to access Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Programs from approved autism service providers like ErinoakKids. To access these programs, children must be 4 years of age or younger and registered with the OAP.

You can learn more about the Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Programs from MCCSS’ website.

If you received an invitation from MCCSS to participate in this program and your child is 12 to 36 months old, ErinoakKids is able to offer you Early Social Interaction/ Social Communication Emotional Regulation and Transactional Supports (ESI/SCERTS). The ESI/SCERTS model helps young children learn new skills and meet individualized goals in the areas of social communication and play, and helps parents/caregivers learn how to support their children.

There is no cost to families to participate in this program, but you must have received an invitation from MCCSS. If you have not received an invitation from MCCSS for the Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Program, ErinoakKids is unable to provide this service to you.

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To register for ErinoakKids’ Early Social Interaction/Social Communication Emotional Regulation and Transactional Supports (ESI/SCERTS), please call 905-855-2690 (toll free 1-877-374-6625) and press 1

What families are saying about this program:

I consider this the best program that I have ever been part of!

We began the SCERTS program in October 2020. I was not so confident about the effectiveness of the program before we started the sessions, since the mode of delivery was virtual. At the beginning, Hari was not socially connected to others (or only to a small extent), did not have any words, had very little eye contact, and was almost not responding to his name. Based on the assessment, our ErinoakKids clinician developed some goals and strategies, based on the program, for Hari, with my consultation. 

The duration of the program was almost 6 months, with 2 sessions of 1 hour each in a week. With each session, our clinician coached me how to implement the strategies in eight different areas of daily routines in order to improve social interaction, active engagement, regulation etc. The strategies are very simple and easy to understand and implement! Our clinician was amazing in evaluating the progress and suggesting techniques for improvement. I believe the program was as successful as an in-person program, despite the fact that the whole program was delivered virtually, including the community sessions. 

If we look at Hari now, his social interaction skills have improved significantly. Eye contact and response to his name has increased considerably. I have learned to make things more predictable and enjoyable for him. He is able to engage actively in daily routines, even though he still needs some support from others. The program has made me confident in interacting with him more and more. Together with the weekly webinars, the program is just right for kids like Hari. I consider this as the best program that I have ever been a part of and we have benefited greatly from it. 

~Sree

Through this program, my son developed skills I never thought he was capable of having!

When I initially accepted the placement for the ESI/SCERTS early intervention I had mixed emotions.  26 weeks seemed so long and being coached was quite intimidating. But within the first 2 sessions my experience was insightful and extremely motivating. I felt confident with my ErinoakKids clinician; her reassurance, positivity and patience is what I needed as a parent to support my son. 

Through this program, my son developed skills I never thought he was capable of having. With our clinician’s guidance and support, his social communication growth and skills have exceeded our expectations. Our clinician became part of our "screen" family, and I am truly grateful for her expertise, passion and dedication. I now have confidence that my son is capable of achieving long term skills because of her encouragement and the use of strategies she practiced with us.

~Stephanie

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To register for ErinoakKids’ Early Social Interaction/Social Communication Emotional Regulation and Transactional Supports (ESI/SCERTS), please call 905-855-2690 (toll free 1-877-374-6625) and press 1