Author: Serena Datta | BHSc Student at Queen’s | TNO Community Ambassador
Each April, Autism Awareness Month spotlights a condition affecting one in 66 Canadian children.³
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects how people perceive the world, communicate, and relate to others.³ It’s called a “spectrum” because each person experiences it differently. Some need high levels of support; others are highly independent with specific needs.
Yet, despite increasing public recognition, families continue to face long waitlists, culturally unresponsive systems, and a lack of accessible, affordable services.
The Birth of TPASN
The Thorncliffe Park Autism Support Network (TPASN) didn’t begin in a boardroom—it took shape through conversations between determined parents, in apartment hallways, schoolyards, and community rooms. It began in 2017, when a few families in Thorncliffe Park, many of them newcomers or immigrants, began organizing informal meetups to create safe spaces for their children with disabilities.
Today, TPASN has evolved into a federally incorporated, parent-led organization with a mission rooted in community empowerment, cultural competence, and practical support.
A Vision for Inclusion
At its heart, TPASN’s mission is about reshaping what support looks like in multicultural, under-resourced communities. They aim to provide culturally competent and needs-based developmental services for children and youth with disabilities.
Through navigation support in multiple languages, parent-led workshops that demystify IEPs, therapy referrals, funding processes and many other supports, the network offers dignity, and more importantly, connection. The organization’s vision extends towards a future where people with developmental and other forms of disabilities lead lives of self-determination, independence, and full participation in schools, homes, and communities.
Programming That Reflects Real Needs
TPASN operates on a philosophy of inclusion, empathy, and prevention rather than crisis intervention. Its services—offered free of cost—range from:
- Early childhood development programs emphasizing art, movement, and play-based, sensory learning
- Parent advocacy training to help caregivers navigate the developmental services landscape
- Life skills workshops for young adults with special needs to foster independence
- Newcomer navigation support, resource sharing, and cultural brokering
- Community-wide events promoting equity and neurodiversity through education and dialogue
Leading With Lived Experience
The lifeblood of TPASN is its people. At the forefront of it all stands Shakhlo Sharipova, a medical doctor from Tajikistan, the founder of TPASN, and a tireless advocate. She is also a mother to Ayub, a young adult with autism and Kabuki syndrome.
Sharipova moved to Thorncliffe Park in 2010. At the time, she says, there was little support from other families—many didn’t even know that help was available. “I struggled alone,” she says. “I felt the need to carry the whole burden myself.”
The social stigma was crushing. “Families wouldn’t even get into the same elevator as us,” she says. “People would cover their eyes, their ears, turn their backs on us.”
In 2017, she took a bold step: she approached her building’s landlord and asked to run an outreach session to teach her neighbours about her son and about autism. That act of courage sparked a community response. From those early sessions, TPASN was born.
That beginning grew into a network of over 20 families.
During the pandemic, when many support systems shut down, TPASN families stepped in for each other. Parents took turns caring for one another’s children. They distributed meals, ran back-to-school campaigns, and found ways to provide respite. Under Shakhlo’s leadership, these grassroots efforts evolved into large-scale initiatives that raised over $30,000 and mobilized nearly 100 volunteers.
The group’s impact has only continued to grow. Through small grants, community fundraisers, and hundreds of volunteer hours, TPASN has supported art therapy classes, outdoor summer camps, Ramadan meal distributions and more—all culturally tailored and offered at no cost to families.
That focus on accessibility is deliberate. “What makes TPASN different,” Sharipova says, “is that we understand the barriers families face. We create programs that are free, culturally sensitive, and available when families actually need them—not after years of waiting.”
She knows the frustration firsthand. “I waited eight years for one-time government funding. One hour of speech therapy can cost $175. Weekly adult day programs can be $900.
In a neighbourhood where 25.5% of residents are low-income, the cost of private therapies remains out of reach for many.² Yet early intervention is critical. “Without timely support,” Sharipova says, “children miss milestones that may never come back.”
Sharipova continues to raise these issues with policymakers: “Why doesn’t OHIP cover speech pathology or Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy?”. The provincial government of Ontario currently does not consider either service as “medically necessary”.¹
When asked what keeps her going, she tells the story of a former TPASN volunteer. “One of our volunteers was on the autism spectrum himself. After volunteering with the children in our programs, he told me, ‘I want to be the person I wish I had when I was younger.’ Today, he’s a child and youth worker. That kind of transformation—that full-circle moment—is exactly why we do this.”
The Future TPASN Is Building
TPASN is pushing forward with ambitious goals: expanding its early intervention services, creating a culturally responsive therapy methodology, training more volunteers, and eventually hoping to secure a permanent community space.
“The system wasn’t built for us,” Sharipova says. “So we’re building our own.”
Reflecting Upon Autism Acceptance & Neurodiversity
Disability is far too often framed as a deficit. Autism acceptance encourages us to view disability as one form of diversity.
“I don’t want people to just learn about autism,” Sharipova says.
“I want them to change the way they see our children. I want them to look past my son’s diagnosis. I want them to believe our kids belong everywhere.”
How to Support
TPASN thrives on community support—through donations, volunteers, and partnerships.
To get involved, visit: https://www.tpautismsupport.ca/
This article is dedicated to the many families in Thorncliffe Park and beyond who are creating a world where every child—regardless of ability—is seen, supported, and celebrated.
References
1. Autism therapy should be medically necessary in Canada. Autism Therapy Should be Medically Necessary in Canada. Accessed May 16, 2025. https://itsmedicallynecessary.ca/.
2. Bowden O. Thorncliffe Park residents are educated, but earning low incomes. could new legislation help? | CBC News. CBCnews. February 16, 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/thorncliffe-park-residents-are-educated-but-earning-low-incomes-could-new-legislation-help-1.7114888.
3. April is Autism Awareness Month. Lake Ridge Community Support Services. April 1, 2020. Accessed May 16, 2025. https://www.lrcss.com/events/world-autism-awareness-month-2020.
