Many people do not understand the difficulties of raising a child with a disability. Parents want to give their child the best quality of life they can possibly have. In order to do so, they often need financial assistance from the government.
In February, the Ontario government received backlash after announcing reforms to the province’s autism program. The Ford government has launched a plan to tackle the waiting list for autism therapy, but doing so will mean freezing out three quarters of the children who need treatment.
Currently, 23,000 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder are waiting for government-funded treatment in Ontario, while only 8,400 children are receiving treatment right now. Lisa MacLeod, minister of children, community and social services, released the changes that are going to be made on March 21.
Parents, school boards and therapists have spent the last few weeks protesting at Queen’s Park, because the changes will make it more difficult for parents to provide their children with the treatment they need.
Some of the changes come with a pledge to consult parents and to find ways to provide more funding for autistic children with more complex needs, the cancellation of proposed income tests for families seeking autism funding, and a six-month extension for children currently receiving therapy under the old system.
The parents whose children are receiving full funding for autism therapy are relieved, but still concerned with some details.
With the cancellation of the proposed income test, the government says that the new plan will instead provide $20,000 in annual funding for all children diagnosed under the age of six, and will receive a maximum amount of $140,000 in their lifetime, since children often have higher needs at a younger age.
According to the Ontario government, children over the age of six will receive $5,000 annually and a maximum of $55,000 by the time they turn 18. These maximum figures are based on a sliding income scale, which means that families earning more than $250,000 per year are ineligible for funding.
Autism does not end at five, as one demonstrator’s sign at a recent protest against the changes read. Speech-language pathology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy will also be added to the list of provincially-funded services.
Intensive therapy is unquestionably expensive and can cost up to $80,000 per year. So, many parents with children already in government-funded therapy programs will be unable to continue them.
They will be unable to afford the cost of keeping their kids in full-time therapy. The Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis said the government’s plan is flawed since it needs to cut funds for children over the age of six, even though children over six need expensive therapy.
Due to the new changes in funding, many parents have are afraid that they will be unable to give their child with autism the help they need.
The fact that health-care professionals and educators are also saying this plan is flawed shows that the government should reconsider what it intends to do.
Yes, the waitlist will be reduced. But, at what cost, and will it have a negative impact on families with autistic children once their kids are older?
