Amicus and Psychology Groups Intake Criteria

Intake Criteria for all Programs:

We serve children and teens from ages 8 to 18 diagnosed with a Learning Disability and/or ADHD with lagging social skills.

Specifically, the intake criteria are:

• Diagnosed Learning Disability and/or ADHD - Learning Disability and/or ADHD must be diagnosed by a psychologist or pediatrician (ADHD only) and is considered to be the child's primary diagnosis.  For individuals with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Level 1, this diagnosis must be secondary to their Learning Disability and/or ADHD.
   
• Average to above-average IQ - A full-scale IQ (FSIQ) or general ability index (GAI) of 85 or above as indicated in the psycho-educational assessment.
   
• No significant emotional or behavioural regulation challenges - The individual is able to participate in a 3:1 child to staff member ratio.  If the child requires 1:1 behavioural and/or emotional regulation support for more than 50% of the day or has significant emotional or behaviour regulation challenges (see below) they would not qualify for our program. We do not have aides or parents attend programs with our participants.
   
• Participants are able to stay in large groups consistently - The child will be in groups of up to 36 campers for some components of Amicus summer programming and up to 12 participants for Psychology groups.

What are considered significant emotional and behavioural regulation challenges and outside of the scope of our intake criteria?  

• Significant emotional regulation challenges would include: consistently running away and/or hiding when upset, consistently unable to regulate emotions with support from adults, etc. 
• Significant behavioural regulation challenges would include; frequent physical contact with others (hitting, biting, spitting, etc.), unable to leave a situation with support from an adult, etc.

All programs require the completion of an intake process to ensure a good fit between the needs of the participant and what the program can provide. If you are unsure if your child is within the scope of our intake criteria, feel free to call our intake coordinator.

Intake & Registration Process

Please note: Please provide our intake team with up to 5-7 business days to confirm and invoice parents/guardians for camp registrations.

We conduct an intake process prior to registration for all of the child and youth programs offered through our Psychological Services & Programs department and Amicus Camp & Recreation department. The intent of the intake process is to determine whether there is a good fit between the needs of the child and what our program can provide for them. All program participants must receive intake approval prior to registration. 

Generally, this is a one-time process but if a child has previously been approved through the intake process and has not attended one of our programs for over a year, parents/guardians may be asked to provide updated intake information to ensure the program is still a good fit for their child. 

Intake Timeline:

Once all documents are received, we aim to review and process all intake packages in one week. Amicus intakes may take up to 3 weeks to review and process during our busiest season of March to May. It is ideal to begin the process well before the program start date to ensure there is time to complete the process and ensure availability in the program.

Intake Process:

1. Complete the Intake Form & Submit Required Documents

We require all of the following documents in order to review and assess for intake approval:

• Complete our Amicus Camps and Recreation Parent Intake Form
   
• Most recent psycho-educational assessment. If your child has not undergone a psycho-educational assessment or is currently being assessed, we can accept a pediatrician letter dated within the last 2 years in place of the assessment.
   
• Copy of your child’s Individualized Program Plan (IPP) or Learning Support Plan (LSP). If your child does not have an IPP or LSP, please specify this when submitting the intake documents.
   
• Teacher Intake Form - please forward the link to the teacher intake form that is provided at the bottom of the parent intake form. It is an intake form to gain the teacher’s perspective. When the teacher completes the form, it will be automatically returned to us. If your child is homeschooled, attends school online, or the teacher is unable to complete the form due to school board policy, please reach out to our Intake Coordinator for alternative options for the Teacher Intake Form

Submit all these documents directly to the Community Services Intake Coordinator at intake@foothillsacademy.org. We cannot review the intake package until all intake documents are received.

2. Review of Documents

Once we have all the necessary documentation, we will review and then inform you of the program approval decision. If your child is not approved for Psychology groups and/or Amicus programs, we will provide alternative program resources for you.

3. Invitation to Register

The Intake Coordinator will provide you with the appropriate registration forms if the intake is approved. The registration form and a deposit are required to hold a spot in a program.

Registration Process: 

If intake approval is received for the desired program, our Intake Coordinator will send you the program registration forms. Please note: We are unable to hold any program spots until the child has received intake approval.

Registration occurs seasonally with new programs starting in the fall, winter and spring. We do not offer psychology groups during the summer season at this time. Parents/guardians are asked to complete registration forms each season to ensure all participant information on file is up-to-date. 

If you require assistance in completing any of the provided registration forms, please reach out to our Intake Coordinator.

An invitation to register does not guarantee your child a spot in a program. Registration priority is given on a “first come, first serve” basis. There is an opportunity to register on a program waitlist once all available spots are filled.

Request for Financial Assistance:

If you wish to apply for financial assistance, you can indicate this on the registration form and the application will be sent to you. Learn more about our financial assistance through this link.