Alberta leads way, but more is needed

Nearly one Alberta child out of every 100 is classified as having special needs.

Numbers collected by Family Support for Children with Disabilities, which provides resources and support to Alberta’s special-needs children, show they have 9,828 clients.

The numbers have steadily climbed since 2011, especially under the autism spectrum category.

Alberta’s reputation as a leader in diagnosing and providing services to individuals on the autistic spectrum, according to Alberta Human Services, attracts more families with autistic children to the province, resulting in the increased numbers.

Over the past decade, FSCD has collected statistics on its clients, from birth to age 18, under six broad categories: developmental conditions; physical/ motor conditions (such as spina bifida); mental-health disorders; sensory impairments (such as hearing impaired); health conditions (such as cancer), and unconfirmed conditions.

A more detailed analysis of Albertans with disabilities, from birth to age 30, is expected to be released soon by the province’s Child and Youth Laboratory.

The analysis is part of the lab’s “longitudinal project,” which focuses on understanding the experiences of Alberta children and youth as they develop, said Robyn Blackadar, president and CEO of the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research.

“The focus is service use within and across ministries, as it is related to key indicators and to the passage of time,” she said.

“Studying experiences over several years of development adds a valuable level of richness to an already groundbreaking initiative, providing detailed insight into the factors that help to shape our chil- dren and youth as they develop.”

As the special-needs community continues to grow, the importance of therapies such as WATSU, equine therapy and music therapy, all of which help to enrich the lives of special-needs children while also developing communication and other skills, also increases. The therapies provide a chance for the kids to break free of some of the barriers they face in daily life, allowing them to swim, dance, have fun and just be a kid.