Ottawa-Carleton District School Board

The Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) is a formal process within the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board where a committee, including school staff and parents, determines whether a student has a formal exceptionality (such as Autism) and what placement is most appropriate. Parents must be notified in writing and have the right to attend and participate. Once identified, the student is entitled to an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The IPRC must be reviewed at least annually. Parents can request an IPRC at any time by writing to the principal.

An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a written document that outlines the specific educational program, accommodations, and services for a student with identified special education needs. In the OCDSB, IEPs are developed by the classroom teacher in collaboration with the special education resource teacher (SERT), parents, and, where appropriate, the student. For autistic students, IEPs typically include modified or alternative curriculum expectations, specific accommodation strategies (such as visual supports or sensory breaks), behaviour support plans, and transition goals. Parents must receive a copy within 30 school days of the start of the school year.

Yes. The OCDSB operates structured teaching classrooms for students with autism spectrum disorder across the board. These classes use evidence-informed practices including Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) principles, visual supports, and structured daily routines. Class sizes are small (typically 6-8 students) and each classroom is staffed with a teacher and Educational Assistants. Placement in an ASD class is determined through the IPRC process. Not all schools house these classrooms, the board places students based on needs and available programs.

Educational Assistant (EA) allocation in the OCDSB is determined by student need as documented in the IEP and through the board's special education funding model. EAs are not automatically assigned with an autism identification; the level of support is based on assessed needs. Parents can advocate for EA time by documenting specific safety or learning needs during the IPRC and IEP process. EA support can range from full-time one-on-one assistance to shared resource support within a class. The board uses Ontario's special education per-pupil funding envelope to allocate these resources.

Yes, autistic students have the right to access French Immersion programs in the OCDSB. The board cannot remove a student from French Immersion solely because of an autism diagnosis. However, parents should be aware that special education resources (EA support, structured ASD classrooms) may be less readily available within French Immersion streams at some schools. Parents should discuss available accommodations and supports during the IEP process. Some families choose to transfer to an English-stream school to access more intensive ASD programming, but this is a family decision, not a board requirement.

The OCDSB works in collaboration with the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) for diagnostic and psychoeducational assessments for students with complex needs. CHEO's Autism Program and developmental pediatrics teams may provide consultation to schools, conduct autism diagnostic assessments, and share reports with educational teams. School boards in Ontario also have their own psychoeducational assessment staff. Parents can request a psychoeducational assessment through the principal; the board is obligated to assess within a reasonable timeline if a special education need is suspected.

The OCDSB is required by Ontario Regulation 181/98 to include transition planning in every IEP for students with special education needs. For autistic students, this includes: (1) Transition from elementary to secondary school, with a transition meeting typically held in Grade 8; (2) Transition within schools (e.g., changing classrooms or programs); (3) Post-secondary transition planning beginning in Grade 7 for students with intensive needs. Transition plans should include specific goals, timelines, and responsible parties. Parents should request a dedicated transition meeting and ask for documentation of who is coordinating the handoff.

Both the OCDSB and the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) are required to follow Ontario's Education Act, special education legislation, and the same IPRC/IEP requirements. Both boards offer ASD-specific programming and Learning Support Services. Key differences: The OCDSB is larger (~75,000 students, 147 schools) with more distributed ASD classrooms. The OCSB serves ~38,000 students across 87 schools. Parents should contact both boards to compare available ASD programs at schools near them, as program availability varies by location. Faith-based instruction is the primary practical difference, not the level of autism support required by law.