"When Ashley Ferreira's five-year-old son was diagnosed with autism in 2020 she never imagined that a five-year wait lay ahead for him to get access to government-funded core therapies. "I thought that the diagnosis came with help," she said. "It wasn't until I started joining Facebook groups like the Ontario Autism Coalition that I was like, 'Oh.' It was a slap in the face.""
"Figures obtained by the coalition through a freedom-of-information request show that more than 84,000 children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program to seek autism services and 19,600 of them are receiving funding to access core services. Parsa touted the government's record of more than doubling the budget for the autism program to an expected $778 million this year and expanding the services that qualify for funding as core therapy to include occupational therapy, speech language pathology and mental health supports."
"Children, Community and Social Services Minister Michael Parsa refused to say whether that is an acceptable length of time. "We want to make sure that every family is supported, every child and every youth in this province has the opportunity to succeed and thrive," he said when asked outside the legislature last week."
Ashley Ferreira's son waited five years after a 2020 autism diagnosis to access government-funded core therapies. Survey results indicate families now receiving funding registered five years earlier. More than 84,000 children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program, with 19,600 receiving funding for core services. The government plans an expected $778 million budget for the program this year and has expanded core-therapy eligibility to include occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and mental-health supports. The government introduced time-limited "pillars" such as an entry-to-school program, urgent response services and training supports for families as interim measures.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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