Autism changes will strain schools, Ontario boards say

Critics concerned costs of therapy hours will be downloaded to boards

School boards are growing increasingly worried about the impact of the new autism system that could see children arriving in classrooms requiring services they say they don’t have the resources to provide.

A number, including the Halton public board, are now writing letters of concern to Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod and Education Minister Lisa Thompson given changes to the autism system come into effect April 1 and they’ve received no direction from the government.

“We know that our educators, our teachers and our educational assistants do their very best to support students every single day, but they are stretched to the limit,” NDP education critic Marit Stiles said in the legislature Tuesday.

“The truth is that this government has cut supports to students with special needs. I want to know … if the minister of education will tell parents and families if they are going to be hiring more teachers, educational assistants and support workers to ensure these children get the support they need in school? Will the minister at least consult with the school boards?” said Stiles, a former Toronto school board trustee.

Criticism of the autism overhaul continued for another day at Queen’s Park, with MacLeod again defending accusations her ministry froze the wait-list for children’s autism services after taking office, as well claims the Ford government’s is spending more on autism than the Liberals when the previous government had budgeted the same amount — $321 million.

And MacLeod had to apologize in the legislature after it was revealed she used a Windsor mother’s quote out of context as an example of support for the Ford government’s autism changes.

“If I used that quote yesterday incorrectly, I unequivocally apologize,” MacLeod said. Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky called it a “hollow apology” saying Sherri Taylor — a mom of four children with developmental disabilities — felt “manipulated” because “the minister’s office asked her for a statement before they announced changes to the autism program” and “was not told what the statement was to be used for; nor that the minister would be reading it aloud” in the legislature on Monday.

Under the changes, the government has promised to clear the 23,000-long wait-list for therapy, and will introduce a childhood budget allowing families to choose services they want — essentially spreading autism funding to more families, meaning some will get less than they currently do.

Families will be eligible for up to $20,000 a year for children under 6 — up to a lifetime maximum of $140,000. Children older than that can access up to $5,000 a year up to age 18, to a lifetime maximum of $55,000.

MacLeod landed in hot water for issuing a warning to behavioural therapists during a meeting in January that they’d be in for a “long four years” if they didn’t publicly support the autism changes.

She later apologized for her tone during what she described as a tense meeting.

Meanwhile, Lisa Thompson said the government has extended funding for a pilot project “with regard to improving school-based supports for students” diagnosed with autism.

Overall, she noted, boards will receive $3 billion in funding for all special education programs this school year — though many boards say they spend more than that.

“We are working with our school boards and we will be sharing our steps forward with our boards in the weeks to come,” Thompson told reporters. “We are working with boards in identifying and addressing their concerns.”

Boards say they have no idea how many children are being served outside of schools under the Ontario Autism Program, nor what effect the changes could have come April 1.

“This so-called 23,000 wait list is just going to be pushed into the schools,” said Liberal MPP Michael Coteau, a former Toronto school board trustee.

“So if you are a young child who needs 25 hours of ABA (behavioural therapy) services and you are only getting seven hours because of the allocated amount, that gets downloaded to the actual school board,” he said. “And the school boards are just not prepared.”

Under the changes, only families earning less than $55,000 in net income will qualify for the full funding amounts.

On Tuesday, the social services ministry quietly released the sliding income scale, which determines how much families are entitled to for autism services.