Children with symptoms of autism do not get the therapy or equipment they need for treatment until they get a diagnosis, but the wait time for a public diagnosis is 2-3 years. Private diagnoses are too costly for most to afford and vulnerable kids are falling through the cracks in our system. You can help make a real difference in a child’s life today.

The South Okanagan Assessment Program (SOAP) is a pilot project that unites Health and Education-based professionals to provide timely, cost-free autism assessments to high-risk children over 6 years of age. School Districts 53 and 67 have partnered with our team of clinicians to refer the highest-needs kids first to improve equity in access to care.

Our mission: Reduce wait times and ensure every child gets the support they need.

The South Okanagan Assessment Program recognizes that early intervention improves outcomes and is committed to providing autism assessments free of cost to families facing financial hardship.  While we would like to be able to assess all children awaiting autism assessments, we have strict referral criteria in place due to limited program capacity.  Please help us to support this program so that we can increase capacity in the future.

Our process:

All referrals must be received by School-Based Teams in School Districts 53 and 67.  School-Based Teams identify children who meet program criteria and if parents would like to move forward with the assessment, they are asked to sign a Release of Information Form.

Criteria:

1. Children 6 years of age and over.

2. A strong suspicion of autism, with at least two behavioral indicators, such as difficulty with social skills and social communication, repetitive movements or behaviors, fixed interests, sensory sensitivities or sensory-seeking behaviours, or rigidity.

3. Children unable to attend school full-time without 1:1 support, or without more support than is currently available.

Please note: Some children may meet these criteria but following referral, be declined for SOAP assessment due to complexity.  While our pediatrician/Speech Language Pathologist team are skilled and experienced, they are best suited for cases where autism spectrum disorder is the primary suspected diagnosis.  They may not be able to provide optimal assessments of children with multiple or complex diagnoses, which may be better assessed by a psychiatrist or psychologist. 

The South Okanagan Assessment Program is a collaborative and multidisciplinary autism assessment program that first launched in August 2024. The first program of its kind, SOAP works directly with School-Based Teams within School Districts 53 and 67 to triage the highest-needs children first and provide cost-free autism assessments to those families. This program aims to significantly improve equity of access to assessment, time to assessment, quality of assessment, the volume of assessments, and reduce the cost of assessment in the South Okanagan.

We are a team that includes both Health Care and Education-based professionals who are passionate about the issues facing children with autism.

Dr. Miriam Oliver is a pediatrician whose daughter has autism and who is committed to ongoing Quality Improvement programming.  She feels passionately about ensuring that all children have equitable access to timely autism assessments and to autism-specific treatments.  In addition to her training as a paediatrician, she has a Master’s of Science, has completed additional training to be able to complete autism assessments (is a BCAAN Qualified Specialist), and has completed several Physician Quality Improvement Courses through Doctors of BC (currently in PQI level 3).

Janette Grant graduated with MSLP from the University of Alberta in 1998.  Janette has spent her career in Penticton, with 12 years working for the Penticton Health Center and the OSNS Child Development Centre in the birth-5 population.  In 2011, Janette took a position with School district 67 (Okanagan-Skaha).  Janette has served on the BC Speech and Hearing Provincial Council, facilitated many professional development collaborations with school district professionals, and is a passionate advocate for equity and inclusion of all students and a supporter of educators.

Maureen Wourms Larson graduated from Minot State University in North Dakota in 1989 and began her career with the BC Ministry of Health in the community of Princeton servicing the gamut of birth to adult clientele.  She moved onto Penticton School District #67 in 1992 and enjoyed a long career supporting school-aged students.  Recently retired, this program is an inspiration to continue to provide children access to deserved services and interventions to change the trajectory of the lives of for them and their families. 

Michelle Wikerd is a social worker and founder of the Webb Community Foundation. She helps to support families through counselling, support groups and workshops offered by the Webb Community Foundation.

Email: connectwithsoap@gmail.com