Doug Ford’s extreme fail on autism is causing harm to families
Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh have been trying hard in this election to tie Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to Doug Ford, but only one of the Ontario premier’s policies has had any real impact: His government’s ham-fisted attempts to overhaul autism funding.
Parents at their wits end because of the fear and uncertainty caused by the Ford government’s complete bungling of the autism file started dogging Scheer as he knocked on doors in Ontario ridings, asking him in front of the cameras for help, and not just more nice words.
It worked to a degree. The Conservatives — not Scheer but an MP who has a son with autism — announced they would, if elected, budget $50 million to develop a national strategy. And while $10 million a year for five years divided among 13 provinces and territories won’t go far, the idea is critical, because Ontario is proof the provinces can’t be trusted to do this on their own.
The Ontario Progressive Conservatives’ goal in 2018 of getting 24,000 kids off the waiting list for autism funding was laudable, but it meant cuts of tens of thousands of dollars a year for families that had been getting the very expensive therapy covered.
The resulting chaos and loud protests forced the Ford government to admit its mistake, abandon the plan and start consultations on a new, needs-based funding formula, but it won’t be ready until next spring.
It means direct funding to parents, who can pick the service-provider best suited to their child’s needs, but in the meantime, the agencies that employ those therapists have had to lay many of them off, and cut services, because their funding has already been cut to be redirected to parents.
The result is more confusion, frustration and tears, many, many tears, shed by stressed-out parents left scrambling to find therapists while the government tries to sort out its second attempt at a funding overhaul.
Imagine the anxiety parents face when told their child has been diagnosed with a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the way the brain works and can impair language, communication and social skills, only to realize they have to fight tooth and nail to get any help from the government. One in 66 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, which affects tens of thousands of children and adults in Ontario. Its cause remains unknown.
The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services reports there were 11,000 children “in service” in August, over 24,000 “waiting for services,” and only 1,130 families receiving “childhood budgets.” Fewer than 500 children a month are being registered for services.
You may have noticed I didn’t site the Ministry of Health. Why is autism under the Ministry of Children? It’s a health issue.
And it doesn’t end when someone reaches the age of majority.
It’s hard to know if moving responsibility for autism from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to the Ministry of Health would make the situation better, but it would at least recognize the disorder as a health issue, and not something you grow out of. It would also make it harder to deny funding for autism therapy and services if they are medically-necessary health care.
Any politician considering massive changes to programs that support families living with such incredibly complex disorders as autism would be wise to follow the advice of Hippocrates: first, do no harm. The Ford government’s incompetence has caused ongoing harm.