Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA)

At home. Puffin Services has no clinic at all, so there is nowhere to travel to and no centre appointment to schedule around — in-home is the only way the upcoming pediatric support is designed to be delivered. Register your interest to be notified at launch.

Occupational Therapy Assistant support is $80 per session of 50 to 60 minutes, worked in the home where the fine motor, sensory and daily-living goals actually apply. BC autism funding can sometimes be applied, depending on your child's plan and age band. This service is in development rather than bookable today — register your interest and we will contact you as it becomes available.

An assessment, yes — a referral, usually not. Puffin’s upcoming SLPA, OTA and behaviour intervention support will deliver a plan written by a registered clinician, so there needs to be a plan to deliver. Puffin does not assess and does not diagnose. If your child has not been assessed, that is the first step and it happens through an SLP, OT or behaviour consultant, publicly or privately.

Puffin’s pediatric support is being designed for children and youth, with the specific range depending on the service and the supervising clinician’s plan. It is a separate service from hourly childcare, which covers ages 0 to 12. Pediatric support is in development and not bookable yet — register your interest and we will confirm the details for your child at launch.

That is the intention. Puffin’s upcoming SLPA, OTA and behaviour intervention support is being designed to work alongside the team your child already has rather than replace it — delivering their plan and reporting back to them, so you do not have to leave a clinician who is working in order to change where sessions happen. Register your interest to be notified at launch.

That is what the service is being designed for, but whether your funding applies depends on your child’s eligibility, their age band, and the funding rules in force. Under the current program, funding for children under six can be spent on RASP-listed professionals and on behaviour interventionists supervised by one — and Puffin’s specialists will work under RASP-registered supervision. The program is also changing: it is scheduled to end April 1, 2027 and be replaced. Confirm with the Autism Funding Unit (1-877-777-3530) rather than assuming either way.

An Occupational Therapist registered with the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC and listed on the Registry of Autism Service Providers (RASP). The OT will assess and write the plan; the OTA will deliver the sessions and report back. Pediatric support is in development and not bookable yet.