Ontario overhauls children’s autism services

Wait for intensive therapy will be shorter; but kids over age 5 no longer eligible

Thestar.com
March 29, 2016
By Andrea Gordon

Young children with autism will face shorter wait times for intensive therapy covered by the province, but those ages 5 and up will no longer be eligible as part of a revamped Ontario system.

The new autism program, announced Tuesday, aims to cut wait times in half for intensive behavioural intervention (IBI) within two years, and then down to six months by 2021, according to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.

That’s good news for the many who have been languishing on wait lists - the average is two years but can be as long as four years in regions like Durham - but not for about 900 children with autism who are 5 and over and will no longer have access to the treatment.

Another 1,300 who turn 5 during the next two years of transition to the new program will also no longer qualify for IBI.

Instead, their families will receive a one-time payment of $8,000 to pay for supports “as they transition off the IBI waitlist,” the ministry said.

They will also be eligible for applied behaviour analysis (ABA), a much less intensive approach that focuses on a specific skill and is typically delivered for two to four hours a week over a period of months, but will be beefed up as part of the new plan.

The news is promising for parents like Netania Zagorski of Toronto, whose 2-year-old son, Ilyas, was diagnosed with the developmental disorder last month.

“I’m thrilled about greater access to important services,” said Zagorski, who believes her son would benefit from IBI but can’t afford private therapy, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars a year.

“Any improvement in wait times would be great news for us.”

However, “it’s heartbreaking” for older children who have waited for years, only to find out they no longer qualify, she added.

Autism rates have soared in the last decade and Ontario’s program has not kept pace. That means many children aren’t receiving the treatment until they are past the critical window when it’s most effective.

“The evidence is so clear that the (IBI) money needs to be spent on the children under 5,” said developmental pediatrician Dr. Wendy Roberts, vice-chairman of the clinical expert committee that advised the ministry on its new autism program.

“There will be disappointed parents,” she said. “It will be upsetting for parents who have been hoping and waiting so long. That’s certainly one of the drawbacks to phasing the whole program in. (But) it will gradually get better.”

Roberts said the new program is aimed at using resources more effectively and at the appropriate age for the biggest benefit. It is part of a strategy to ensure there are services “throughout the continuum” so that children don’t drop off a cliff when they reach a new stage.

As part of the streamlining, the province will invest more money and training in services provided through schools, she said.

The ministry is also rolling out four new early interventions aimed at children as young as 12 months who show signs of autism.

The pilot programs are among emerging “naturalistic” approaches that take place in a child’s daily environment during the normal course of play. They also involve teaching parents strategies so they can deliver it themselves and help their child learn to engage and communicate.

Funding for the new autism program, totalling $333 million over the next five years, was announced in the provincial budget last month.