Lunch and Learn: Surrey Place on developmental disability services in Toronto and beyond

Exploring Strengths, Challenges, and Future Directions for Service Through and Interdisciplinary and Social Work Lens

This presentation will explore common challenges and issues experienced by people with Developmental Disabilities and their families, such as high rates of mental illness, lack of access to appropriate mental health and general health care, service gaps in the adult sector, vulnerability to abuse, and others.

We will facilitate a discussion regarding the various services offered at Surrey Place and across Ontario to meet the needs of individuals with Developmental Disabilities and their families across the lifespan, through an interdisciplinary lens. We will look at the current state of systems collaboration between community agencies and service sectors in Toronto, as well as explore the need for including more content around Developmental Disabilities in Social Work education.

We will offer a snapshot of the Ontario Autism Program and Toronto Autism Services, exploring the strengths of the program, as well as challenges and issues encountered on the front lines of service. We will explore the current state of services for individuals with Developmental Disabilities in Toronto and beyond and facilitate an important discussion around future directions of these services.

Michael Lander, MSW, RSW, is part of the Intake and Parent Training team with Toronto Autism Services at Surrey Place. Michael also works as part of a private practice, FLEX Psychology, providing counselling services to young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families.

Michael’s work in the field of Developmental Disability Services encompasses many areas, including job/career development, behavioral intervention, depression/anxiety treatment, social skill development, transition planning, and advocacy, as well as program development, professional education, and running family support groups.