First Step Clinic

The First Step Clinic is a multidisciplinary screening assessment that allows us to gather more detailed information about your child’s development as well as to determine the next step in services both at KidsInclusive and in the community.

First Step Screening Clinic

The First Step Screening Clinic offers families of preschool and early elementary school-aged children timely access to a multidisciplinary team to address families’ concerns and provide discipline-specific strategies in a variety of areas, including communication, play skills, use of school-related tools, and self-help skills.

Following their referral to KidsInclusive, families will receive a letter outlining the intake process and the date of their child’s First Step Screening Clinic appointment. Families are required to confirm their appointment. Depending on a child’s age and reason for referral, a questionnaire may be included with the intake letter. Families are encouraged to bring their completed questionnaires to their First Step Screening Clinic appointment.

At the First Step Screening Clinic, individual children and their parent(s) meet with a multidisciplinary team for an hour-long screening and consultation appointment at the KidsInclusive site in Hotel Dieu Hospital. Typically, the team includes an Occupational Therapist, a Social Worker, and a Speech-Language Pathologist. While the child engages in play-based screening activities, caregivers participate in a guided conversation about their child’s development, interests, challenges, and strengths. The team will also ask about other agencies or professionals that are involved with the family and child at home, at day care/school, and in the community. If there is any additional relevant information available regarding the child’s skills or development (e.g. letter of concern from a teacher, professional assessment report, report card, etc.), families are encouraged to bring a copy of this report to their appointment.

Using the information gathered during the screening, the team will work with the family to determine next steps in supporting their child. Recommendations are based on a child’s current skills and interests, and are tailored to the needs and priorities of each family. The plan for next steps may include:

• General activity suggestions to further develop specific challenging skills
• General information regarding appropriate community programs
• Goal-based consultation services by a single discipline or the team in the clinic, at home, or in a day care setting
• Information about appropriate partner agencies in the community, with assistance to make referrals (if needed)
• Internal referrals to additional multi-disciplinary team members, specialized programs, workshops and/or group programs at KidsInclusive
• Information regarding supports (e.g. financial, respite, etc.) available to families, as appropriate based on eligibility criteria
• More formal assessment of the child’s skills by a single discipline or the team in the clinic, in-home, or in a day care environment
• Further diagnostic assessment at KidsInclusive by a Developmental Paediatrician

If further assessment by a Developmental Paediatrician is recommended, the information gathered during the First Step Screening Clinic appointment will be shared with the doctor.

By the end of their First Step Screening Clinic appointment, families will have a clear plan of support for their child, including services through KidsInclusive as well as through partner agencies in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville communities.