Mental Health Services
Services Available In-Person in Toronto and Online for Children and Youth with ASD
Mental Health and ASD
Children, adolescents, and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) commonly experience mental health difficulties and are at greater risk for mood and anxiety disorders. More than half of young adults with ASD present with at least one psychiatric diagnosis (ICES, 2017). Many individuals with ASD may present with co-occurring challenges or psychiatric diagnoses including anxiety, low mood, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)/Conduct Disorder (CD), tic disorders, emotion regulation difficulties, and specific phobias. Furthermore, difficulties with navigating social interactions, independence, and self-advocacy skills are often present in individuals with ASD.
What do mental health services look like?
Services offered at Launch Behavioural Health incorporate evidence-based Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) strategies to address areas of need for children, adolescents, and adults with ASD and mental health difficulties.
Sessions are delivered in person at our Toronto clinic or online. Sessions are individualized and may consist of individual therapy services with the client, coaching and skill building, and/or parent training. Individual and group services are available to address these challenges.
Individual services
Individual services may focus on building skills and managing emotion regulation difficulties, executive functioning challenges, anxiety and specific phobias, tic disorders, social skills, self-advocacy, and independence skills.
Group services
Group services target social skills difficulties (PEERS program) as well as worries and anxiety (Facing Your Fears)
The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relationship Skills (PEERS®) group is a manualized, social skills training intervention for teens and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and other socio-emotional problems. This group is a 14-week program geared towards students in grades 7 to 12. Sessions consist of a weekly 90-minute session for teens (in-person) and a weekly 60-minute parent session (via Zoom). More information can be found here.