The Early Childhood Community of Practice officially launched in the fall of 2022 with a focus specifically on innovative solutions to address the service gaps/barriers that exist for children with autism or may receive an autism diagnosis, age 0 to 6 years.

Terms of Reference

Coming up!

Cover page of the Autism Through Indigenous Lens Document. An Indigenous mother wearing a ribbon skirt with her two young sons.

Autism Through Indigenous Lens Presentation

We are honored to host Emily Coombs, author of the Autism Through an Indigenous Lens resource, for a presentation on Indigenous ways of understanding autism. Drawing on traditional knowledge and community-centered care, Emily will share evidence-informed best practices for supporting Autistic individuals through an Indigenous lens.

Virtual Presentation
September 15, 2026 12:00-1:30 pm
Register here

Essential Components

With the support of Autism Society Alberta, an Early Childhood Community of Practice was formed in 2022 to create a place for solution-focused discussion and networking. This group worked together in 2024 to create a guide to outline what to look for in quality services for young children diagnosed with autism.

Young children playing with toys on a yellow background

Other Work

Click here to access Slide Deck PDF
Issues & Soutions Survey Slidedeck- March 2023
Click to access Early Childhood Infographic PDF on Issues and Solutions Survey
Issues & Soutions Survey - March 2023
Click here to access PDF
Themes from December 7, 2022

Watch

Click here to access video
Creating a Neurodivergent Affirming Practice
Click here to access video
2024 Connecting Communities Presentation

Steering Committee

Headshot of Kim Ward. Kim has shoulder length auburn hair and blue eyes.

Kimberly Ward (she/her), PhD.

Kim completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1995 at the University of Calgary. During her years in graduate school, she focused specifically on the social-cognitive differences associated with Autism. Kimberley became a Registered Psychologist in 1996 and joined the clinical team at Society for Autism Support and Services (SASS) (formerly Society for Treatment of Autism). After serving as the Clinical Director for nine years, she transitioned to the role of Executive Director in 2018. Kim joined the Canadian Autism Alliance of Canada Board of Directors in 2020 where she serves as the Chair of the Governance Committee and Board Secretary.

Terri Duncan head shot

Terri Duncan, MSLP, R.SLP, S-LP (C)

Terri Duncan is the founder and Executive Director of Children’s Autism Services of Edmonton. She is a registered speech language pathologist and has worked with children with autism and a broad range of developmental delays for more than 25 years. Terri has her B.A. in Psychology and Linguistics from the University of Ottawa and her Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Alberta. Terri’s interest in working with children with autism began when she worked as an aide with a four-year-old boy with autism in a family’s home in the early 90’s. Since that time she has been fascinated by the complexity of autism and the resilience of families dealing with the challenges they face on a daily basis. Terri started Children’s Autism Services of Edmonton in 2004 and since that time, the organization has grown to be one of the largest service providers in Western Canada.