While your child may be receiving at home therapy services from either the Child Development Program or the Early Learning Program, they may also take part in other therapy services to help them develop other skills. Below is a brief introduction to the types of publicly funded therapy services your child may become registered in and links to finding private practice options, should you want more frequent sessions. It is possible that your child may already be receiving one or more of these therapies before their diagnosis of ASD. Frequency and length of sessions is determined by the individual therapist and the policy of whichever regional health authority’s jurisdiction you live within.
These services are available through Manitoba Health and the Outreach Therapy Program. For people in the Westman area, the regional health authority chapter would be Prairie Mountain Health. Please follow this link to PMRHA locations index. By clicking on the orange markers on the map, you will be taken to an individual page which will describe each location and the services offered there and their contact information.
Occupational Therapy (OT)
An Occupational Therapist assists an individual in becoming more active and independent in activities (occupations) of everyday living. Some areas addressed during treatment include, but are not limited to:
- Fine motor skills
- Feeding and oral skills
- Sensory processing
- Cognitive/perceptual skills
- Self-care skills
- Play skills
Occupational therapists will use a client-centered approach to tailor how they assess and assist individuals. Modifying activities, adapting environments, implementing rehabilitative treatment plans, and advocating for resources to foster independence for their clients are just some of the duties an Occupational Therapist will do, as per the Manitoba Society of Occupational Therapists.
For a listing of private practice occupational therapists who specialize in services for children, please follow this link to a pdf directory from the Manitoba Society of Occupational Therapists (dated 2017-2018)
Physiotherapy (PT)
Therapy to help develop and/or improve an individual’s motor skills. Therapists can work with children through exercises, programming recommendation and teaching them how to use adaptive equipment (like toothbrushes with adaptive handles, walkers, strollers, etc.). Some of the activities physiotherapists may work with patients on are:
- Motor skills (rolling, sitting, crawling, walking, running)
- Relaxation
- Exercises for strength
- Balance and coordination
To find a private or public physiotherapist clinic/facility, please follow this link to the Manitoba Physiotherapy Association.
You may also find this document ‘Accessing Physiotherapy in the Community’, also by the Manitoba Physiotherapy Association, a helpful and informative read.
Speech & Language Pathology Therapy (SLT)
More commonly referred to as ‘speech therapy’. The goal of speech therapy is to improve all aspects of speech, language, communication and swallowing skills of an individual. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) will determine what difficulties an individual has and the best way to go about treating them. Some areas addressed by an SLP include:
- Speech sounds
- Using and understanding language
- Social language skills
- Voice quality
- Oral motor control
- Stuttering
- Difficulties with swallowing food and/or liquids
Speech therapy may include a variety of techniques, which are tailored to each individual’s needs and goals. Techniques may include sign language, daily exercises, everyday play, labelling of items in a person’s life, and the use of a visual schedule or the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).
To find a private speech-language pathologist, please follow this link to the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Manitoba directory.
***For more information on the Children’s Therapy Initiative, a regional map of service locations, and intake phone numbers for each region, please click here.***