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Children’s Developmental Services

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Children's Developmental Services offers three programs to support families and educators who have worries about the development of their infants, children or youth. We help you understand child development, including what a child can do well or where they may need extra help, using our favourite words from CanChild: Family, Fun, Functions, Future, Fitness, and Friends.

 

About Children's Developmental Services

If you have concerns about your child’s development, Halton Region's Children’s Developmental Services can help through three programs:

  • Infant and Child Developmental Services (birth to 5 years)
  • Inclusion Services (birth to 12 years)
  • Family and Community Behavioural Services (2-21 years)

Children’s Developmental Services support families with infants, children and youth who have worries about their development. They help families and early childhood educators understand child development, including what a child can do well or where they may need extra help.

Once you connect with us, we will talk about your goals using our favourite words from CanChild: Family, Fun, Function, Fitness, Friends, and Future (external link). These words help us think about your child, their strengths, and their development across all their environments to guide our services and goals.

Our favourite words from CanChild

  • Family: You know your child best.
  • Fun: Childhood is about fun and play! This is how your child learns and grows.
  • Function: Your child might do things differently, but they can do them. How they do it is not important. Let them try!
  • Fitness: Everyone needs to stay fit and healthy. Help your child find ways to keep fit.
  • Friends: Having friends is important. Help your child to make friends.
  • Future: Your child will grow up. Let’s find ways for your family to be included in the community.
 

Infant and Child Developmental Services (birth to 5 years)

Infant and Child Developmental Services helps families and caregivers with children who may have a delay in growth and learning. Services are available for children up to 5 years old or until they attend child care or school, who live in Halton Region, and:

  • have a genetic syndrome that might change how they grow and learn;
  • were born early or had difficulties when they were born;
  • have family history that could affect how they grow;
  • have delays in their growth and learning; or
  • have parents/caregivers with questions or worries about how their child is growing and learning.

A strong start

Our developmental consultants and occupational therapists can help with:

  • Moving: Check how muscles work and teach exercises for rolling, crawling, and walking.
  • Communicating: Help with making sounds, imitating actions, looking in the eye and talking.
  • Playing: Support social interests, pretend play, turn taking, and sharing.
  • Feeding: Help with breastfeeding or bottle feeding, trying solid foods and drinking from a cup.
  • Sleeping: Support a bedtime routine.
  • Routines and transitions: Make everyday activities consistent and help children take part in them.

How we help

Working together with your family, we will:

  • Screen and assess: Check how your child is growing and learning and see what help may be needed;
  • Coach and set goals: Work with your family to plan, set and reach goals;
  • Provide resources: Give you helpful materials and information through workshops and groups;
  • Coordinate Services: Bring together other professionals if your family needs extra support; and
  • Support transitions: Help children start child care or school.
 

Inclusion Services (birth to 12 years)

Inclusion services in Halton are delivered by Halton Region, Community Living Burlington, and Community Living North Halton. Services are available for:

  • children up to 12 years of age who have delays in their growth and learning; and
  • attend a licensed child care centre, nursery school, or licensed home child care, with a Memorandum of Understanding for Inclusion Services.

Classroom supports

Our resource consultants can work with your child’s early childhood educators to support them in the classroom by:

  • screening and assessing your child’s development;
  • creating a plan focusing on what your child is good at and what their needs are;
  • supporting children who are starting school;
  • delivering workshops, sharing information and providing helpful materials; or
  • connecting with other services if more support is needed.

Before and after school programs

If your child attends a before or after school program, please connect with the program about what supports they offer.

 

Family and Community Behavioural Services (2-21 years)

Halton Region's Family and Community Behavioural Services works with children, youth, and their families with a special needs diagnosis and a behavioural concern. Services are for families who:

  • live in Halton Region; and
  • have a child 2 to 21 years of age who has been diagnosed with a developmental disability (not including Autism Spectrum Disorder) or who have a diagnosis or possible diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Building life skills

Our behaviour consultants can help families, children or youth at home, child care, school or other community settings. We help build skills in:

  • Daily living: Following everyday routines, developing self-help skills (like using the toilet), and personal hygiene.
  • Communication: Making requests, following directions.
  • Social connections: Interacting with peers and siblings.
  • Emotional regulation: Helping with anxiety, learning coping skills and self-regulation.
  • Behaviour management: Responding to aggressive or self-hurting behaviours, understanding sexuality and community safety, developing safety plans.
  • Transitions: Helping with changes from one activity or place to another.
  • Generalization: Learning skills that can be used in different situations.

Workshops, coaching and more 

Our behaviour consultants can help coach and set developmental goals with your family and community professionals. We can also connect you with other community services as needed.

The following group learning workshops are also available:

  • Sensory and Behaviour
  • Relationships and the Teen in Me
  • Youth Social Connect Group
  • Self-Regulation
 

For families: Check eligibility and apply

If you have a worry or concern about your child's development, use our online tool to check if you are eligible for one of our developmental support programs (external link). Checking eligibility does not require an account. To apply, create or log in to your Halton 311 personal account and complete the online intake form! Applying takes less than 5 minutes.

Apply for Services

 

For physicians and professionals: Submit a referral

Physicians and professionals can submit a referral to Children's Developmental Services on behalf of families (external link) (with consent) through our online tool. To get started, create or log into your Halton 311 business account and register with Children's Developmental Services.

Submit a referral

 

For child care centres: Upload and review documents

Child Care programs receiving Inclusion Services can upload and receive documents for review (external link) through our online tool. To get started, create or log into your Halton 311 business account and register with Children's Developmental Services.

Upload/review documents

 

Connect with us

If your family would like to contact us or apply without using the online tool, please call 311 and ask for Children's Developmental Services. Physicians, professionals and child care centres are also welcome to call with questions about our services.

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