ABILITY Program
- Location:
- 170 Elizabeth St., Main Floor, Clinic 7 or 9
- Phone:
- 416-813-5839
- Email:
- ability.program@sickkids.ca
- Fax:
- 416-813-8418
- Hours:
- Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except for holidays)
About the Clinic
The ABILITY Program (Adaptive, Behavioural, Intellectual & Developmental Disability, Integrated Tertiary care for Youth & Children) is a program within the Division of Paediatric Medicine at SickKids which functions in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry, and in partnership with Surrey Place. The program offers both in-patient consultation and out-patient care.
The ABILITY Clinic is situated in SickKids within the Paediatric Consultation Clinic. It is a referral-based clinic for children and youth with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or an Intellectual and Developmental Disability with any of the following:
- Developmental or behavioural challenges impacting access to medically necessary care at SickKids that would benefit from Adaptive Care Planning
- Behavioural escalation leading to significant health impact (including severe restricted eating causing growth and nutrition deficiencies)
- Developmental, behaviour, functional and/or mental health regression
- Down Syndrome consultation for patients meeting specific complexity criteria
Pre-appointment Instructions
What to bring
- Toys, books, nut-free snacks, diapers and formula to keep your child comfortable and occupied in case there is a wait.
- Specific instructions will be provided to you at the time of booking (if any).
Directions
Your appointment may take place in Clinic 7 or Clinic 9. You will receive a phone call or email with the details including location of your appointment.
What to Expect During Your Visit
Appointments generally last from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the reason for the appointment, and while we try to be on time, sometimes there is a wait. Please be on time for your appointment, if you are late, we will need to shorten your allotted appointment time to limit impact to other patients and families.
On arrival in the clinic, you will register your child at the desk. Even if you have already registered at another clinic, you need to check-in at the registration desk.
Your child may be assessed prior to seeing a doctor, which includes weight, height, temperature, pulse respirations and blood pressure reading.
Each member of our team plays an important role in the patient/family assessment, education and support. We may suggest that your child be referred to other clinics for assessments.
ABILITY Team
The ABILITY team consists of general and developmental paediatricians, a child and youth psychiatrist, board certified behaviour analysts, developmental service workers, a developmental consultant, a service coordinator, and nurses.
Latiffe Adair
Program Coordinator
Arezu Alami
Board Certified Behaviour Analyst
Nicole Crawford
Developmental Service Worker
Kelsey Ferguson
Board Certified Behaviour Analyst
Dana Frisch
MD
Julie Gardner
RN
Joelene Huber
MD
MD
Rachel Markin
MD
Andrea Seater
Developmental Consultant
Chantal St Jules
RN
Nicole Staples-Dorey
Developmental Service Coordinator
Vanessa Visconti
Developmental Service Worker
Jacqueline Weiss
MD
Information for Referrals
Our team brings a developmental and behavioural approach to care that is specialized and individualized to ensure all children, regardless of neuro-developmental status, receive the right care at the right time.
Program criteria includes child or youth with diagnosed IDD or ASD requiring tertiary level medical care at SickKids and any one of the four indications:
- Behavioural challenges impacting the ability to receive medically necessary care at SickKids and requiring Adaptive Care Planning
- Behavioural / developmental escalation leading to significant health impact or family crisis resulting in high risk of hospital visits
- Developmental, functional or behavioural regression
- Infants and young children with Down Syndrome with medical complexity requiring consultation
We expect our patients to maintain close contact with their primary care provider as ABILITY is a consultation service and does not provide primary care services.
If you are a health-care provider and wish to make a referral to our clinic, please review our referral process.
For family members of children with Down Syndrome, you can make a referral to early intervention, speech and language, respite, and audiology (before 12 months of age) services. These do not require a doctor's referral.
Resources for Families
You can find links to our resource directory below. These include early intervention services, family support networks, childcare and schools, programs, and medical information on Down Syndrome.
- Welcome letter (PDF)
- Guidelines for Families of Children with Down Syndrome – American Academy of Paediatrics (PDF)
Down Syndrome resource guides:
Coming to a clinic appointment
It's important to come prepared and be on time for a clinic appointment. Visit Coming for Clinic Appointments to read appointment guidelines that are applicable for most clinical appointments at SickKids.
You’ll find information on how to prepare and what to bring, what to do if you/your child are sick before your appointment or you need to cancel, and important things to know about the SickKids philosophy.