New funding for Autism Services announced by the Ontario Government; how will this help our community?

BY PAUL JUNOR

There have been many concerns from concerned parents about the overhaul of funding for autism by the Ontario government.

Many parents were dismayed when the overhaul was announced. The announced changes would “See funding given directly to families instead of to regional service providers.” This was intended to clear an enormous logjam of children who have been waiting for autism services for years. Laura Kirby-McIntosh, President of Ontario Autism Coalition reported, “This new plan is the death of the Ontario autism plan. It’s going to clear the waitlist, but do it by making sure no one gets what they need.”

She elaborates by noting that because of the three different levels of autism, some children may need minimal support while others may require intensive support if they have significant deficiencies with respect to their verbal and non-communication skills. The Ontario government stated that the changes were necessary because the previous program was unfair given that 8,400 children were being supported while 23,000 were on the waitlist.

On January 22^nd, 2020, the Ontario government followed up by announcing that there will be one-time funding for families on the Ontario Autism Program waitlist. Eligible families had until March 31^st, 2021, to submit their registration and supporting documentation. According to the Ontario government website:ontario.ca, parents could receive up to $20,000 for a child aged one to five or $5 000 for a child or youth aged six to seventeen. This extra funding would not have an impact on parents’ eligibility for the new needs-based autism program.

There has been anticipation by concerned individuals as to how the provincial government would address the drastic underfunding of autism services and extensive waitlist. On Friday, December 3^rd, 2021 there was a press release titled, “Ontario Increasing Access to Services for Children with Autism,” which revealed that there was the establishment of a new independent organization, “Independent Intake Organization (IIO), ” which “will help families navigate the program from intake to funding.”

In addition, there will be the launch of the “Entry to School Program,” which “Supports children on the autism spectrum entering kindergarten or Grade one for the first time and awarding grants to service providers to hire and train new clinical staff so they can support more families.” These recommendations came as a result of the Implementation Working Group which was formed in December 2019. It was expected to “Provide advice and input on the operationalization and implementation of a number of key design elements of the program.”

Dr. Merrile Fullerton, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services states, “Our needs-based Autism Program is built by the community, for the community because we believe every child deserves the support they need to help them reach their potential.” Dr. Cindy Harrison, CEO of ACT Learning Centre states, “The Entry to School Program will support children with autism spectrum disorder and educators by helping them build important skills to facilitate a smooth transition to the classroom.”