A local New Democrat MPP is taking the provincial government to task over what she considers an unacceptably long wait list for childrens' autism services.
During a news conference at Queen's Park on Thursday, London West MPP Peggy Sattler accused the Wynne Liberals of ignoring families with autistic children. Sattler was joined by Ontario Autism Coalition President Bruce McIntosh and Londoner Jessica Ashton, whose 3-year-old son has been diagnosed with the neurodevelopmental disorder.
Ashton said she was devastated to learn that there were nearly 1,000 children ahead of her son on a wait list for services after having already waited over a year for the diagnosis alone.
“At that moment I realized my son would likely not receive treatment for years to come. I thought to myself, this can’t be happening," said Ashton. "All of my research to that point had urged that early intervention and therapy is imperative and essential to future progress."
Ashton, with the help of her husband Scott Miller, created a petition demanding that the government address the long waits for services for autistic children. More than 6,000 Londoners signed the petition which Sattler is delivering to Minister of Children and Youth Services Michael Coteau.
“This family’s experience is completely unacceptable,” said Sattler. “It is no wonder that almost 6,500 Londoners – in only two months – have signed on to support Jessica’s petition campaign. Families of children with autism already have extremely stressful, exhausting lives. They should not have to fight every step of the way to get the services their children need to thrive.”
Coteau met with Ashton following the new conference and heard firsthand about the province's shortcomings when it comes to supporting families with autistic children.
"One of the things I heard loud and clear is that the system is complicated. We need to change that. That is why our government invested an unprecedented half-billion dollars to expand and improve services and supports for children and youth with autism and their families," said Coteau in a statement to Blackburn News London.
He went on to explain the new Ontario Autism Program is one of the most comprehensive system-wide changes the province is making to support young people.
"At its full implementation, the new program will ensure that families and their children receive services as quickly as possible. But we need to make this change incrementally so that families can experience smooth transitions. We want to get this right," said Coteau. "The new Ontario Autism Program will ensure families have consistency, choice and confidence in their child’s care. But these changes will take time. As families transition to the new program, we know that one of the most overwhelming experiences has been wait times. Families want timely access to services, and I know we need to do better. I want parents and caregivers to know that their children are one of my top priorities. That’s why we are increasing the number of treatment spaces – so that more children with autism can receive services sooner, when its most effective."
This isn't the first time the Liberal government has been slammed for its handling of autism services. Last year, an attempt to impose a controversial age limit that would cut kids five or older off from funding for Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) therapy led to multiple rallies at Queen's Park.
The Liberals have since backed away from the age limit, introducing a new program for therapy funding in the province. The new autism funding program adds an additional $200-million to the $333-million the province previously committed over a five year period.
Ashton has organized a rally in London on November 8 to continue to put pressure on the government to cut wait times for autism services. Those in attendance will march to Deputy Premier and London North Centre MPP Deb Matthews' constituency office on Piccadilly St.