NETWORK E-BULLETIN - OCTOBER 2007 EDITION

Augmentative Communication Teams Lift Kids Off Waitlists & October eBulletin

NEWS AT A GLANCE:

• 6 Month Update: Over 1,420 Kids Benefit from Additional Network Services
• Snapshot of the Network's Evolution (a new monthly feature)
• Augmentative Communication Teams Lift Kids Off Waitlists
• SPOTLIGHT ON … Royal Victoria Hospital
  

6 Month Update: Over 1,420 kids benefit from additional Network services
Last month we told you about the impact Network partners made on kids and families during our first year of operations. Year 2 began on April 1, 2007 and we have excellent news to report. During this period, (April 1 - Sept. 30, 2007) the number of kids benefiting from additional Network services increased by 42% over the same period last year. Momentum is building as Network funding continues to expand services for kids in the community. Highlights of additional services provided by Network partners to kids with multiple disabilities during this 6-month period include:

• 4,178 occupational therapy session
• 1,808 physiotherapy sessions
• 1,508 speech and language sessions
• 656 inclusive recreation sessions
• 3,159 additional sessions were conducted for dietician services, developmental diagnostic consultations and service coordination
  

A Snapshot of the Network's Evolution
We've received many inquiries about the status of some of the Network's milestone initiatives. By way of keeping everyone updated on our progress together, we'll be posting a snapshot of the Network's evolution every month in upcoming eBulletins.

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NETWORK EVOLUTION SNAPSHOT - as of October 2007

• Transition to Single Plan of Care: 70 kids have started the process
• Recruitment: 83% of target reached; 71 additional professionals hired
• Electronic Record & Single Plan of Care Training: 252 professionals trained
• 2 Resource Centres and 4 of 8 Local Team Sites Operational (Barrie, Richmond Hill, Alliston, Midland, Georgina, Markham)
• Research Study: 43% of families needed are confirmed to participate
  

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Augmentative Communication Consultation Service Teams Lift Kids Off Waitlists and Bring More Services to Local Families
Over 150 York and Simcoe children have been transitioned from the Bloorview Kids Rehab service and are now receiving augmentative communication services from the Network's Augmentative Communication Consultation Service (ACCS) teams. Over the past year and a half, the two ACCS teams have been expanding augmentative communication support and are providing professional development to increase the number of local professionals able to provide these much needed services in the community.

The teams have already had a significant impact on the waitlist. For instance, wait times for kids in Simcoe with augmentative communication needs have been reduced from as much as four years to less than one year - with further reductions expected in the weeks to come.

We've got lots of other great news about the progress these teams are making, under the guidance of our very experienced ACCS Team Facilitators Tracy Hunt (Simcoe) and Nora Rothschild (York).

Tracy previously worked with Network partner the Simcoe Country District School Board where she headed up the Autism Support Team. Prior to that, she was at Bloorview Kids Rehab in the Communications and Writing Aids Service. Nora brings more than 25 years of experience working in the field of Augmentative and Alternative Communication, including 10 years of augmentative communication support in York Region as part of Bloorview Kids Rehab's Communication and Writing Aids Service outreach program. Here are some highlights of the ACCS Teams' activities:

• Assessment Kits - One of the key initiatives has been the joint development of Guided Assessment kits. These are now being piloted in the field and are offered in two forms: one for daily communication partners and the other for professionals. Both packages include information and forms to guide augmentative communications assessments. Information gathered via these will help develop appropriate communication goals, decide on strategies and determine next steps for kids needing augmentative communication.
• Professional Development - There have already been a number of professional development workshops/seminars for team members and local professionals to expand the capabilities of people able to provide services - with more to come. Interest and attendance has been great. Some sessions have also included participation from parents which has helped immensely in developing a program that meets community needs. For instance, a recent event that was focused on emerging communication was attended by 70 people. Two parents of children at an emerging communication level shared their personal experiences and insights with other parents, school boards and pre-school professionals, as well as with the newly formed ACCS teams.
  

Simcoe ACCS Team Activities:

• 115 children have been transitioned from Bloorview with another 76 to follow throughout the upcoming year.
• Services have been established at the Network's Simcoe Resource Centre (The Common Roof in Barrie) as well as at Local Team sites in Alliston and Midland. Additional sites will be added in Collingwood and Orillia. The Common Roof also offers a variety of equipment to Local Team professionals. ACCS services are also provided in homes, schools, and at daycare centres.  
• Staffing for the Simcoe ACCS team has been expanded to include: Kate Henry and Enid Mackle (OTs from Closing the Gap in Barrie); Joanne Brown (CDA from The Speech Clinic in Barrie); Melanie Shelswell (CDA from Bloorview Kids Rehab); and Heather Lees, Sarah Holland, Melissa Bunder and Megan Wood (SLPs from The Speech Clinic in Barrie).
• Most team members are now qualified ADP authorizers.
• Work is underway on forging agreements with the two school boards for hosting a full-time SLP for augmentative communications support.
  

York ACCS Team Activities:

• 41 York Region children have been transferred from Bloorview.
• The Network has provided increased augmentative communication resource funding to the York Region District School Board, the York Region Catholic School Board, York Region Pre-School Speech and Language and York Early Intervention Services.
• Staffing for the York ACCS team has been expanded to include: Deb Thomas (OT), Brenda Johnson (OT), Karen Baron (SLP), Andrea Visconti (SLP), Jessica Zaks (SLP) and Daniele Fiorindi (SLP) with the York Region District School Board. A new Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA) will be hired shortly. ACCS staff at the York Catholic District School Board includes: Lesley Davies-Visconti (OT), Stacie Christie (OT), Anika Arora (SLP), Shirin Saleh (SLP) and Sabrina Polimena (CDA).
• Others not on the dedicated ACCS team but working closely with pre-schoolers who need augmentative communication team support include: Laurissa Abric (CDA), SLPs Mumtaz Ahmad, Christine Randl and Jacquie Beauchamp, and OTs Carol Poplak, Varsha Pinto and Ruth Harvilla.
• All ACCS team members and many Network professionals are now qualified ADP authorizers. Training for this was offered over the past year.
• ACCS support is now provided in homes and at schools.
• Specialized AAC equipment is now available at school boards and at Local Team sites. Professionals can borrow equipment and custom-made kits for demonstration, assessment and short-term trials.
• Three Network-funded AAC introductory workshops have been provided to over 90 professionals across Simcoe and York over the past year and a half.
  

Still to come:

• November 22, 2007 - Seminar on cortical visual impairment and its impact on augmentative communication presented by Kevin Stewart PhD - Vision Specialist and Head of the Vision Support Team with York Region District School Board. Registration has now almost reached capacity at 75 attendees from Simcoe and York ACCS Teams and other interested professionals.
• Ongoing augmentative communication training for low tech and high tech AAC tools and strategies has been scheduled throughout the fall.
  

To find out more about the ACCS Team and its services, contact tracyhunt@speechclinic.ca or nora@rothchilds.ca.

 

SPOTLIGHT ON … Royal Victoria Hospital


Network partner Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie has been a long standing provider of services for children with disabilities and their families in Simcoe County. In fact it's first community-based pre-school speech and language service - one of many services offered through the hospital - started more than twenty years ago serving the Barrie, Collingwood, and Alliston areas.

"Our services for preschool children have grown and grown over the years," says Mary Riggin-Springstead, Manager for Children's Development Services at RVH. "So has our community focus of providing those programs in partnership with local resources. We have always been strong supporters of integrated services in communities."

Today Children's Development Services at RVH provides a wide range of therapy services for pre-school children, and also serves as the lead agency for the Simcoe County Preschool Speech and Language Program, the Simcoe Muskoka Parry Sound Infant Hearing Program and the Simcoe Muskoka Parry Sound Blind/Low Vision Early Intervention Program.

RVH hosts the Network's Simcoe County Feeding and Swallowing Clinic. The hospital also hosts speech pathologists participating in Local Team ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) testing and provides augmentative communication support for preschoolers.

"Having the support for ADOS assessments has been an extremely valuable resource for families in the community," says Mary. "Before the Network, access to early diagnosis of autism was extremely limited. Early diagnosis is critical to making sure we can address the needs of these children."

What Children's Treatment Network has also allowed RVH to do says Mary, is have more players at the table in terms of integrated planning around children with special needs.

"It has allowed us to offer services that previously didn't exist in our community - which means fewer families having to travel to Toronto. The Network has also supported educational opportunities for our staff and enhanced their ability to serve those children. It has ultimately allowed everyone to build capacity for specialty therapy services closer to home. After all, we're all centered on the same goal - providing the best services for children and families, and ensuring that the system has as much capacity as possible to do that."

"We applaud initiatives like Children's Treatment Network and are pleased to be part of this innovative way of delivering health care services to the children of our region," remarks Janice Skot, President and Chief Executive Officer at Royal Victoria Hospital. "In fact, the work of the Network is perfectly aligned with two of our strategic directions - to find Alternative Ways to Deliver Care and to Collaborate with the Local Health Integration Network and Partners. These two strategies allow us to consistently plan for the future and deliver excellent care while promoting best practices across the health care continuum. Health care has changed dramatically over the years and this 'out of the box' thinking - along with invaluable Network partnerships - ensures we continue to deliver quality care that is both efficient and meets the needs of children in our region."