(Canada) Thunder Bay: "Autism Hub" links user directly to autism support services"
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Anyone looking for autism resources in the city can now go to a single source for information about a wide range of programs and services.
Robin Cooper, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Westfort, created the Thunder Bay Autism Hub, a resource website connecting families and professionals to local autism resources. . . .
The Thunder Bay Autism Hub links the user directly to autism support services, such as the Ontario Autism Program (OAP), a provincial government assistance program that provides direct funding and clinical services for children under 18.
Cooper said it took her five and a half years to get core clinical funding.
In the meantime, children who are registered with the OAP gain access to AccessOAP, an independent intake organization, which connects families to foundational service options.
“My son has taken a lot of services through Superior Life Skills, also through Creative, also through Ignite, like we've been everywhere. And just accessing whatever services we can get, connecting with George Jeffrey, connecting with Children's Centre, Thunder Bay, so just trying to get as many different services and that's like what I've tried to reflect on the page, and I mean, we are fortunate. It took 5.5 years, but we now have our core clinical funding, so I am able to pay for more services for my son,” Cooper said.
The not-for-profit Autism Ontario connect families with key services like March Break and summer grants, educational webinars, resource documents and adult programs.
After a youth turns 18, they age out of the provincial system.
“Once you're 18, then you age out, and then you're looking at like disability services and things like that. There's the Thunder Bay Family Network, which I've reached out to work collaboratively with to get some of the resources. One of the things I did learn is that the transition to adulthood is really important, and you need to start that at 16, not at 18, because it does take a while. So those are the kinds of things that I want to make sure that I include on there as well,” Cooper said. . . .
“We don't, there's nothing on there about cures or causes or anything like that. These are resources, and families know their children. So, here's all the information that I could find. You go there, it's a one-stop shop, and then you think, ‘OK, this is where I'm at in the journey. I'm going to go here, and then when I get to this point, I'm going to go there,” Cooper said.
The Kiwanis Club of Westfort collaborated with service providers like Communities Together for Children, where the launch of the website took place, and Autism Northwest, which helped support the website.
Karen Armstrong, treasurer for Autism Northwest, said their organization were the root of the Thunder Bay Autism Hub. . . .
Autism Northwest started as a parents' support group in 2023. From there, the group formed a not-for-profit, hoping to fill a service gap in the community.
