complete survey re: ASD before Mar 10 for infographic to government before election

 Dear Community of Practice Members, Following our February 23rd Community of Practice meeting, the Steering Committee met to discuss the most efficient way to collect “data”, powerful stories/examples and potential solutions. We recognize that we are all busy and want to be respectful of everyone’s time. Rather than asking members to share stats (caseload sizes, wait lists), we thought it would be more efficient to develop a brief survey. We also thought we could increase the number of voices heard as the survey could be forwarded to other clinicians/administrators at your organization, as well as to organizations that serve young children with autism that are not currently part of the Community of Practice. As discussed at the meeting, our goal is to create tools such as an Infographic or slide deck that we can use collectively to educate the government and the community about the current state of affairs in autism early intervention. To be clear, we are looking to compile or aggregate stories and survey data. People/agency names will not be linked to specific quotes or numbers. The only place names or agencies will be listed is in the Community of Practice membership list and we will only list those members who are comfortable with us doing so. As a Community of Practice, we want to drive change by offering solutions. We want to position ourselves as the group that the government comes to for advice and direction. We are not a lobby group. We are nonpartisan – our goal is to share our collective understanding of issues that impact children and families and offer experience-informed solutions. We recognize that most agencies are funded by the province and we have to be strategic when it comes to raising issues and sharing solutions. We are hoping that you will take the time to complete the 23-question survey linked below and share it with others at your agency and/or other organizations who provide service to young children with autism and their families. With an election fast approaching, we ask that you complete the survey before March 10th. The Steering committee will then use the information to create an infographic and slide deck. These tools will be shared at the next Community of Practice meeting. We will also discuss how the tools will be used to promote positive change. Date and zoom link for the next meeting to follow shortly. Survey Link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DYMKQHW Thanks for taking the time to complete the survey - looking forward to discussing next steps! Community of Practice Steering Committee Terri Duncan, Nausheen Khan & Kim Ward KIMBERLEY­ WARD, Ph.D. (She/Her) Executive Director // Registered Psychologist Society for Autism Support and Services 404 94 Ave SE Calgary, AB T2J 0E8 403.258.5518 autism.ca