Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD)

FSCD provides 2 different types of funding to children with special needs and their families:

Specialized Services (SS) Funding

Provided by the Specialized Services Branch of Family Support for Children with Disabilities, Specialized Services provides funding to children with documented severe needs in at least 2 of the following 5 areas:

• Communication and Social Skills
• Physical and Motor Development
• Behaviour
• Self-Help Skills and Adaptive Functioning
• Cognitive Abilities

LEAD Foundation's home-based programs are designed to achieve goals as described in an Individual Service Plan (ISP). Based on the child’s, needs, this program can include in-home aide (CDS), occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, and psychology/behaviour support along with Program and Behaviour Specialists and service coordinator. 

Individual therapy budgets are based on the child’s specific needs, as recommended by FSCD.

At LEAD, Specialized Services funding is provided in 2 ways:

• Contract Spaces refer to our agreement with FSCD to provide service to up to 24 children and their families under the age of 6 years with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
• Fee-For-Service refers to individual budgets for children over the age of 6 years (usually) for which we bill on a monthly basis based on services provided.

Developmental Behavioural Aide Supports

These services consist of individual aide services provided by a CDS with supervision by a Program Coordinator and/or a Clinical Coordinator.  Consultation with various therapists may be provided periodically based on individual need.

Aide supports can include developmental or behavioural aide hours and are intended to support parents in acquiring specific skills and learning strategies to help promote their child's participation in activities of normal daily living. Services may be provided through consultation, involvement in small group programs, and/or direct therapy.

For more information visit www.calgaryandareacfsa.gov.ab.ca

Alberta Education Early Childhood Services

Alberta Education provides 2 different types of funding to children with special needs and their families:

Program Unit Funding (PUF)

Alberta Education provides PUF funding to assist children between the ages of 2.5 and less than 6 years of age on September 1 of the school year with severe needs within a school or community-based program.  The goal of this funding is to improve children’s developmental skills, including pre-academic skills, to ensure school success.

PUF programs are coordinated by a certificated teacher and may include a Child Development Specialist (CDS), Occupational Therapist (OT), Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP), Psychologist / Program and Behaviour Specialist and Physical Therapist.

LEAD provides PUF funding to children with a variety of special needs, including ASD, developmental delay, language learning disability and dyspraxia of speech.

Mild / Moderate Funding

Alberta Education provides mild/moderate funding to assist children aged 3.5 years to less than 6 years of age on September 1 of the school year with mild to moderate disabilities / delays.

For more information, visit http://education.alberta.ca

Group Programs

Social Skills Programs

Play to learn and learn to play! Through play and structured learning themes children will learn goals related to individual and group needs. Examples of learning themes include skills to develop an understanding of feelings, pragmatic communication, self-esteem, friendship, self regulation, and self reflection. Once practiced goals are then transitioned to community environments in group outings.

LEAD Foundation offers social skills programs for children with ASD and other developmental disabilities. These programs are typically 1.5 to 3 hours in length.  Depending on the needs of our children we provide a 1:1 or 3:1 program assistant ration for our programs.