May 5, 2018, (Canada) Yahoo News: B.C. dad pleads for help for 20-year-old son with autism, as wait times for support grow https://ca.news.yahoo.com/b-c-dad-pleads-help-150000737.html The last thing Keith Encinas wants to do is take his 20-year-old son to hospital for emergency psychiatric care. But because of wait times for programs that help adults with autism, the Victoria dad says it may be the only way his son can get urgent necessary support. … Despite significant cognitive and language challenges, Conner thrived in support programs offered through his schools in Victoria, Encinas said. But when he aged out of the school system at 19 and lost those supports, his behaviour became more than the family could handle. … "When he is with us he requires 100 per cent of our attention. I have four other kids. It's just impossible," Encinas said. Wait for supportive housing In an effort to solve the situation, Conner moved to Saskatchewan to try to live with his mother, but his behaviour issues escalated and he showed violent tendencies. … He has since been approved for residential care services through Community Living B.C. — the crown agency that provides housing and support for those with developmental disabilities. But the agency can't say when a placement may be found, leaving Conner in a psychiatric facility that's not appropriate for his long-term needs, Encinas said. Autism rates increasing A growing number of B.C. children are being diagnosed with autism — currently about one in every 51. With the rate of diagnosis on the rise, the support required for each child's transition to adulthood is an urgent issue for families, said Andrew Pinfold, director of operations at Autism B.C. "When you enter an adult program, quite often you are there for the remainder of your life. So wait lists are very common," he said. "They need help right now. For some families this is a very, very urgent matter." Community Living B.C. currently operates with a budget of $1.02 billion from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. While that's an increase of several hundred million dollars over five years ago, the number of clients the agency serves has also increased in that time to 20,000, compared with around 15,000 five years ago. Social Development Minister Shane Simpson says he is confident Community Living B.C. has the funding it needs. He says delays in receiving services are often the result of trying to find the right fit for individuals with high needs. …
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Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
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