The Office of Audit and Evaluation is pleased to announce that the Evaluation of the Public Health Agency of Canada's Autism Spectrum Disorder Program report, as well as its Results at a Glance document, are available online.
PHAC's Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) program is intended to address the complex and diverse needs of individuals with autism and their families and caregivers. The program is composed of ASD surveillance activities, and the ASD Initiative, which includes the ASD Strategic Fund and AIDE Canada project. The first round of the ASD Strategic Fund focused on supporting autistic Canadians, their families, and their caregivers by providing opportunities to gain resources, knowledge, and skills, embracing a social determinants of health approach that is not included in typical health promotion programming. The second round of funding focused on mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic Canadians.
The evaluation focused primarily on the effectiveness of the ASD Program, and covered activities from 2018-19 to 2021-22.
The report presents findings on the effectiveness of the ASD Initiative in terms of outcomes and resource availability for persons with autism and their families and caregivers, as well as on the sustainability of Agency activities and the trajectory towards national autism surveillance system data enhancement.
A Management Response and Action Plan has been developed to respond to the evaluation recommendations.
Should you have any questions, please contact us at oae-bae@phac-aspc.gc.ca
nancy.bolton
23 November 2023