Momentum Developmental Support helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families find the right solutions for their individual circumstances. Our highly-trained team of professionals provide support and care through our strengths-based, trauma-informed approach. If you have a loved one who could benefit from our programs, get in touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
We often receive questions from families and clients about how we work. Here are some of the most common questions we receive and answers to help you make an informed decision.
Sit up, crawl, or walk later in development then other children
Learn to talk later, or have trouble speaking
Find it hard to remember things
Have trouble understanding social rules
Have trouble seeing the results of their actions
Have trouble solving problems
If your loved one is not in receipt of services from the Community Support Program, the Regional Director will provide you with contact information for your local regional health authority. You will then be able to work with their team to complete the assessment process to determine if your loved one is eligible for an ILA or SIL placement.
If your loved one is currently receiving community supports and has a social worker assigned, then provide a copy of the referral form you completed to your social worker and discuss with them your desire to have your loved one placed with Momentum.
If you would prefer a private pay arrangement, please discuss that with the Regional Director.
Intellectual and/or developmental disability is an umbrella term used to cover a group of conditions due to an impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavior areas. In Canada, approximately 315,000 people over the age of 15 are believed to have a developmental disorder. Some example conditions include, but are not limited to: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Prader Willi Syndrome, or intellectual disability.
Usually the signs of an I/DD are identified during childhood development. There are many potential signs. For example, children with I/DD may:
If your child begins to show signs of the above, a good first step is to discuss with your primary care physician. However, there are times where an adult has sought testing later in life, to determine they do in fact have a disability. If you feel your loved one, who is an adult, has an I/DD then they can discuss their symptoms with a primary care physician.
While Momentum does have individuals 70+ years of age in our programs, these individuals have an I/DD diagnosis and are residents in our programs. Momentum does not currently provide staffing support for seniors in their own home.
However, if this is a service you require our sister company, CareGivers can offer this supportive service.
Supporting children with Autism, via the Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) approach is a key early intervention strategy. However, Momentum does not provide ABA services in individuals’ homes.
If that is a service you feel you need in Newfoundland and Labrador, learn more about the program and contact your regional health authority.
Unfortunately, Momentum does not provide respite support workers for care of persons with disabilities in their own homes. However, if this is a service you require our sister company, CareGivers can offer this supportive service.
Momentum Developmental Support provides residential support for adults (18 years old+) with I/DD, meaning we provide a safe and secure home for I/DD persons with staffing supports in place to help them be as independent as possible. In Newfoundland and Labrador, we do this via one of two programs: Individualized Living Arrangements (ILAs), or Supported Independent Living (SIL).
An ILA is a home with 24-hour staffing care for the adult I/DD diagnosed individual(s). An ILA is typically home to one, or as many as two, residents; reducing isolation, associated costs, and creating independence for the individual. The home is staffed with regular Developmental Support Workers who report to a Home Manager, the primary contact for family members and professionals supporting the individuals.
The goal of the SIL program is to promote, support, and enable individuals with I/DD to achieve their potential and independence in the community. Momentum contracts a limited number of apartments in one building over multiple floors. One apartment in the building operates as the office, where the site coordinator is based, providing a home base for staff who are onsite to provide client care. The site coordinator oversees two staff who monitor the care of the clients moving between floors, as well as provide planned supports and any urgent needs support.
Apartments can be one- or two-bedroom suites if a client would like to plan for a roommate. Each apartment has its own bathroom, kitchen, and living room. Paid laundry machines are available on each floor, and the building is wheelchair accessible. The site coordinator ensures monthly bills are looked after based on the program’s budget, and helps provide service coordination between various stakeholders supporting our clients.
For more information see our SIL flyer
Services for either ILAs or SIL are typically funded via the community support program under the Regional Health Authority. Learn more about Residential Options funded by the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Department of Health and Community Services.
Private paying options can be made available upon request.
Momentum’s primary focus is community inclusion, while working to create individually specific plans to support that goal. Whether that’s by attending community activities, school programs, employment programs, work, or volunteer experience; Momentum’s focus is to help our clients be part of the communities they live and work within.
The first step to accessing residential options is to complete our referral form.
Once we have the individual’s information, one of our Regional Directors for the area you’ve specified on your intake form will contact you to help you navigate the Community Support program system:
Our Home Managers serve as the primary point of contact with family members. They work standard business hours, 8:30 am-4:30 pm, and will work with you on establishing a rhythm to how much you’d like to be involved on a day-to-day basis.
Absolutely! We work with several community partners to help build our vision of a community where persons with I/DD have all the same opportunities to live and take part in their community as anyone else. We plan community events, programs for our residents, fundraising activities for our community partners and more. If you’d like to learn how you can work with us to create capacity within our communities to support persons with I/DD, please contact our Community Engagement Coordinator to discuss.
