Ontario parents protest ‘devastating’ autism funding changes

Controversial changes to how the province handles children with autism were being debated at Queen’s Park today. Parents of autistic children watched from the gallery as MPP’s from all sides argued the merits of the Liberals new plan which now limits intensive behavioural intervention therapy to children between two to four.

The Liberal government recently announced a new Ontario Autism Program with $333-million in funding which will integrate Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) and Applied Behavioural Analysis (APA) but will also limit IBI to children between two years and four years.

Children and Youth Services Minister Tracy MacCharles, who cried in the legislature Tuesday while speaking about the topic, says the changes are based on advice from experts and that the new program will decrease wait times and increase access to services, mostly ABA.

Parents and opposition members, however, say those benefits come at the expense of children five and older.

“When I raised the issue of kids languishing on waitlists back in November, I never imagined the government would respond by kicking those very same kids, and their families, off the waiting list,” said Ontario NDP MPP Monique Taylor.

“This government is creating a lost generation of kids with ASD who waited on lists for years for service, and now because of the year they were born, will never receive access to this life-changing therapy.”

One parent admitted to paying out of pocket to enroll her four year old son into private IBI therapy to the tune of $5000 a month. Heather Bourdon says the changes to the funding mean her son will not be able to access publicly funded therapy.

“When Tracy and Kathleen said that they empathized,” Bourdon said through tears, “that they understood that this was a difficult transition, I had to ask myself, ‘do they really?’.”

Agencies/Canadajournal