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Accessible and Exceptional Service

Streamlining Access to Developmental Services

Surrey Place partnered with Developmental Services Ontario Toronto Region (DSO-TR), Strata Health, and OceanMD to transform how referrals are made to developmental services across Ontario. This forward-thinking collaboration is part of the Ontario eServices Program and was designed to simplify and expedite the referral process between hospitals, primary care, and developmental service providers.

By integrating Strata Health’s centralized intake and Resource Matching and Referral (RM&R) technology with OceanMD’s eReferral tool, the new system eliminates outdated fax-based referrals, enhancing clarity and reducing delays for clients and providers. Referrals to Surrey Place and DSO-TR are now more efficient, transparent, and accessible for over 39 partner organizations across acute, rehab, and in-home care settings.

This innovation has significantly reduced administrative burdens, allowing healthcare and developmental service professionals to spend more time on what matters most—supporting clients and their families.

Creating Space for Shared Learning: The DDPCP Forum

In December 2024, Surrey Place hosted the first-ever Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Program (DDPCP) Forum, in partnership with the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Continuing Professional Development.

Nearly 200 people joined from across Canada—healthcare providers, caregivers, researchers, and self-advocates. The day opened with a bold call to action and featured keynote speakers and nine sessions on topics like supported decision-making, communication in care, health screening, trauma-informed approaches, and responding to behaviours that challenge. Breakout discussions tackled how to improve clinical tools and use them in real-world practice. The forum showed what’s possible when communities come together across sectors to turn talk into action. It sparked fresh ideas, strong momentum, and new conversations about building truly inclusive healthcare.

Strengthening Supports for Families with Complex Needs

To reach families facing complex challenges, Surrey Place and the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CAST) launched TIDES (Together, Inclusive, Diverse, and Equitable Service). The pilot initiative provides timely, barrier-free support to families of children and youth with complex needs. At its core is a Mobile Behaviour Treatment Team (MBTT) that offers in-home Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) services.

The program is designed for children and youth under 18 with physical, intellectual, emotional, or developmental disabilities, including those with severe or terminal illnesses. This initiative reflects the evolution of our collaboration with CAST—built on ongoing dialogue, shared learning, and a mutual commitment to closing service gaps. Together, we’ve worked to improve coordination between systems and streamline access to appropriate supports for families navigating multiple challenges.

Safer Steps, My Way: Community Outreach for Drug and Alcohol Use

With support from Health Canada, we launched the Safer Steps, My Way service. This four-year service pilots a harm reduction model specifically designed for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) who also experience substance use challenges and may be involved in the justice system. The program will be implemented across the Greater Toronto Area and the Kenora/Rainy River region and addresses a gap in Ontario’s healthcare and developmental services sectors, where adults with IDD and concurrent substance use issues often lack appropriate, tailored support.

The model is grounded in the SHIFT framework—which emphasizes humility, awareness, sensitivity, and accessibility. A foundational three-phase needs assessment informed its development, including a literature review, 40 stakeholder interviews, and a community partner focus group in Toronto. A final report identified key service gaps and opportunities, providing valuable insights to guide the creation of a responsive and inclusive care model. Looking ahead, in-person focus groups with people with lived and living experience in Northwestern Ontario will further inform and refine the model. Clinical staff recruitment is underway in both regions, alongside the development of service models, training programs, and referral pathways.

The Safer Steps, My Way services represent a vital step toward a more inclusive, evidence-informed system—one that centres the voices and needs of individuals who have too often been overlooked by traditional addiction services.

Raising Awareness and Breaking Stigma about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) affects an estimated 4% of Canadians, making it the most common neurodevelopmental disability in the country. Yet despite its prevalence, FASD continues to receive some of the lowest levels of funding, education, and public attention. In response to this gap, Surrey Place hosted the first-ever FASD) Community Gathering and Move-A-Thon on September 8, 2024, at St. James Park in downtown Toronto. Created to advance equity, inclusion, and social justice for people with FASD, the event brought together families, advocates, and community partners for a powerful day of visibility, connection, and action.

The gathering began with a traditional land welcome by Traditional Healer Pete Keshane, followed by an inspiring keynote on FASD and social justice by motivational speaker Myles Himmelreich. Special guest advocates RJ Formanek and Maggie May from Red Shoes Rock shared their personal journeys and emphasized the importance of awareness and inclusion. Community organizations, including SickKids Health Lotus, Montage, Interwoven Connections, Classroom Celebrating Neurodiversity, and Red Shoes Rock, hosted informational booths to share knowledge and resources.

A highlight of the event was the powerful awareness march led by Indigenous traditional dancers and a drummer, from St. James Park to the Toronto Courthouse.

This meaningful day was made possible by the generous support of the Ontario Brain Institute, Health Nexus, and Pantree. Together, we’re breaking stigma and celebrating community resilience.

By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO