Speaking Out

For clients and families whose primary language is something other than English, we offer in person translation services for important meetings with DSRF service providers. Some therapists and teachers are able to provide services in alternate languages. Please email us for details.

Families should inquire if a program offers financial assistance or if they qualify for funding (e.g. Variety, CKNW, At Home Program, CLBC) at the time of registration. Financial assistance allocation is at the sole discretion of the DSRF. Families not part of a funding program (such as the Autism Funding Unit or the At Home Program) are required to pay the full fee of the session. Sessions are billed once monthly. Depending on the funding model, you will receive an invoice for any monies owing and/ or organizations will be billed directly. You must pay in order to ensure continuity of services.

CANCELLATION POLICY: INDIVIDUAL SERVICES

Emergency Cancellations:

We understand that emergencies, especially those related to health, but also last-minute school routine changes that are beyond a family’s control, happen from time to time and may require last-minute cancellation or rescheduling of your DSRF appointment. When these occur, you will not be charged for your cancelled session.

Non-Emergency Cancellations:

To provide the highest quality service to as many families as possible, DSRF requires sufficient notice to manage non-emergency session cancellations. Without sufficient notice, we cannot provide the cancelled spot to another family or reassign the time to other service delivery purposes.

As a result, the following will be strictly enforced:

• Non-emergency cancellations require notice of one full week. (Note: Notice of more than one week is greatly appreciated if possible.)
• Non-emergencies include vacations, pre-planned medical appointments, family events, school events, parties, sports events, a general lack of childcare, or anything that is not reasonably considered an emergency.
• Non-emergency cancellations made with less than a one-week notice will be subject to a surcharge equivalent to the full cost of the scheduled session. (Note: This also applies to families who receive external funding such as the At Home Program, Autism Funding Unit, and Variety funding, whose regulations state that DSRF can only bill the funder for sessions delivered. Cancellation surcharges are the responsibility of the family.)
• If there are more than three non-emergency cancellations in a three-month period, you may lose your spot in the therapist’s or teacher’s schedule.
• A “No show” cancellation, other than one that qualifies as an Emergency Cancellation, will be subject to a surcharge equivalent to the full cost of the scheduled session. (Note: This also applies to families who receive external funding such as the At Home Program, Autism Funding Unit, and Variety funding, whose regulations state that DSRF can only bill the funder for sessions delivered. Cancellation surcharges are the responsibility of the family.)
• Please note that the DSRF cancellation and ‘no show’ policy applies to sessions taking place in person or carried out via telehealth at home or school. If your child’s school cancels a session or there is a ‘no show’ the family will be subject to a cancellation fee.

DSRF Cancellations:

If a session is cancelled by the DSRF due to therapist or teacher absence, weather, or other any reasons, families will not be billed for the session.

LATE POLICY

• If you are more than 15 minutes late for your appointment and we do not hear from you, it will be considered a “no show cancellation” and you will be charged the full cost of the scheduled session.
• If you are late, your session time will be shortened. Due to client scheduling reasons, therapists and teachers are not permitted to go beyond the regularly scheduled end time.
• Sessions shortened due to client lateness will be charged at the full cost of the scheduled session.
• Repeated (two or more) instances of lateness may result in removal from the therapist’s or teacher’s schedule.

MAKEUP POLICY

Make-up sessions are not guaranteed when there is a violation of the cancellation policy. For example, if you are charged for a no-show, we may not be able to reschedule that visit. Talk to your teacher/therapist directly about the possibility of scheduling a make-up session. It is not guaranteed that a make-up session can be scheduled. It depends on the individual therapist’s or teacher’s schedule.

PARENT, GUARDIAN & CAREGIVER ATTENDANCE POLICY

If a parent, guardian, or caregiver leaves the centre or outdoor area while their child is in session with our team, they must have a cell phone with them that is charged and in working condition so they can be reached in case of an emergency. They must remain within 5 minutes (driving or walking) distance of the session location.

PRACTICE PERIOD

Role of the Family:

Parents are strongly encouraged to participate in goal setting and therapy sessions so that they may apply the techniques and strategies learned in sessions at home. This will help your child generalize what they have learned to environments outside of the therapy session. Especially during early intervention, research has shown that parental involvement leads to better outcomes since parents are the center of their child’s learning.

Practice Period:

Continuous measures are used to document students’ progress. A student’s family and their teacher/therapist will meet to discuss the student’s progress on the agreed upon date of goal review. Typically, the DSRF will recommend that the student take a break from direct service. These breaks can provide valuable consolidation time in which students can fully absorb and begin to use newly acquired skills at home. Should it be deemed in the student’s best interest to take a break from the program, the DSRF will assist families in working on these goals outside of DSRF sessions.

Student Tenure:

Programs at the DSRF are designed to enhance the quality of life for the student. It is our desire to continue teaching until such time that the student has: 1. Lost interest or can no longer attend the program 2. Is no longer benefiting from the program 3. Chronic absenteeism 4. Non-payment or lack of adherence to our payment policies

We understand that circumstances come up that might warrant a change in our original therapy plan. We ask that families give us 4 weeks notice to pause or terminate services or increase/decrease the frequency of services. Wait times may vary if a family requests an increase in session frequency.

Tuition Fees

Families have the option to pay the full fee at time of registration or pay the first month fee and provide post-dated cheques or credit card information for a monthly payment schedule, as outlined on the payment information form. Program withdrawals for group yearly programs must be made by September 30^th and are subject to one month’s fee and a $150 administration fee. After September 30^th, program fees are non-refundable

Student Progress

Informal assessments are used to evaluate students’ progress.  This information, along with regular communication with parents, is used to set individual and group program goals.

For more information on policies of specific programs or for any questions please contact Danielle McKinney at 604-444-3773 x109 or danielle@dsrf.org.