Early intervention for children
18 months to 4 years
- 18 months to 4 years
- Applied Behaviour Analysis, taught through play
- Centre, home and community
- Etobicoke, Scarborough and Hamilton
Therapy that helps toddlers and preschoolers build communication, play and everyday skills. We work with your child's interests and stage of development to create opportunities for learning throughout their day.
What is early intervention?
Early intervention means providing support during the first years of a child's development. At AlphaBee, we use Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), adapted to how young children learn — through play, movement, interaction and familiar routines. Sessions may include playing on the floor, sharing a book or practicing a skill at meal times.
Early intervention is part of our ABA program, with goals and teaching approaches tailored to toddlers and preschoolers. Your child receives the same clinical expertise, supervision and careful attention to progress, with learning shaped around their age, interests and developmental needs.
What "play-based" means
Your child's Instructor Therapist is usually on the floor with them, joining in with whatever your child is interested in. Communication, imitation, turn-taking, following directions and early learning skills are all taught inside activities your child already enjoys.
Every session still has a plan. You and your Clinical Supervisor set the learning goals together, and data is collected every session.
What a session looks like
The weekly schedule stays consistent. What happens inside each session changes as your child learns, and your Clinical Supervisor reviews the session data to decide what comes next.
A session might include floor play, movement, books, crafts, snack time, communication practice or short stretches of more structured teaching.
What it costs
Rates are per hour, and they drop as the weekly hours go up. Which band you land in depends on how many hours a week your child's program runs, which our Services Team plans with you.
| Hours per week | In centre | Home and community |
|---|---|---|
| 6.5 to 10 hours | $95 | $105 |
| 10.5 to 17.5 hours | $85 | $95 |
| 18 hours or more | $80 | $90 |
These are AlphaBee's published rates. Your exact figure, including how many hours we would recommend, is confirmed at the consultation before anything is booked.
The details
- Ages
- 18 months to 4 years
- Where
- Our centres, your home, and the community
- Who you'll work with
- An Instructor Therapist runs the sessions, overseen by a Clinical Supervisor who sets and reviews the goals
- Hours
- From 6.5 hours a week upwards
- Funding
- Ontario Autism Program (OAP) funding can be used
- Getting started
- A 30-minute call with our Family Services & Intake Coordinator. No diagnosis required to have the conversation
- Progress reviews
- A formal review of your child's plan every 6 months
Often a good fit if your child
- Is between 18 months and up to four
- Is not yet using words, or has very few
- Finds it hard to stay in an activity with someone else
- Does not often copy what other people do
- Is happiest playing alone, on their own terms
- Has a diagnosis, is on a waitlist for one, or neither
What happens after four
The early intervention model is built around how very young children tend to learn. As children get older their goals usually broaden - independence, getting ready for school, more complex communication, more complex learning - and the wider ABA program gives us more room to work on all of that.
Play-based teaching does not stop at four either. It stays in the toolkit for as long as it is the right way to teach a particular child a particular thing.
Questions we get asked
Does my child need a diagnosis first?
No. Plenty of the families we start with are still waiting for an assessment, and some never pursue one. You can have the first conversation without a diagnosis.
Is this different from your ABA program?
It is the same program, set up for a younger child. The schedule looks similar. What differs is the emphasis, the goals, and how the teaching is delivered - all of it tailored to how a toddler learns rather than how a school-age child does.
How many hours a week does it need?
Services start at 6.5 hours per week. Our Services Team will work with you to plan a schedule that considers your child's needs, your requested hours and available service times. Your family's input is central to this planning.
Can sessions happen at home?
Yes. We work in our centres, in your home and in the community. Home and community sessions are $10 an hour more than centre sessions. Therapist travel is included in that rate.
Where sessions happen
Home and community sessions run across the GTA and Hamilton from whichever centre is closest to you.
Not ready to call yet?
Explore free printable resources our clinical team uses with families to support learning at home. Download and use them anytime — no sign-up required.
Or read what happens next after you get in touch.
Start with a conversation
A 30-minute conversation about your child, your priorities and how we can help. We’ll walk you through our services, answer your questions and discuss next steps.
Book a consultation