Feb 7, 2019, Ottawa Citizen: Minister stands 'unapologetically' by autism program https://ottawacitizen.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/minister-stands-unapologetically-by-autism-program/wcm/b566979a-f487-4a01-8564-fa9822a27511 Ontario’s minister in charge of the autism program vowed Thursday to “stand unapologetically” for changes to funding that will eliminate a waiting list, but that families say will mean less treatment for kids who need it most. Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod defended the plan in a string of media interviews as her chief of staff sparred with advocates on Twitter. Advocates have indicated they’ll fight the changes, and noted their protests in 2016 against the then-Liberal government were successful in getting a policy reversed. But MacLeod indicated the Progressive Conservative government’s new autism program is here to stay. … MacLeod said she has compassion for the parents, as everyone wants the best for their child, but it was “cruel” that only one quarter of kids with autism in Ontario were receiving treatment while the rest were on a wait list. Under the new program, money will go directly to families instead of regional service providers, which will mean 23,000 kids would no longer be on a wait list for treatment. The funding is dependent on age, with families receiving a maximum of $140,000 for a child in treatment from the ages of two to 18, but advocates say intensive therapy can cost up to $80,000 per year. Families will receive up to $20,000 a year until their child turns six. From that time until they are 18 it would be up to $5,000 a year. Paolo Magrone’s four-year-old son has been on the wait list for nearly two years, and he has been paying out of pocket for therapy at a cost of $5,000 a month. He was expecting that at the end of that wait his son’s therapy would be fully funded. The amount he will receive under the new program will cover treatment for a few months per year until his son, who is non-verbal, is six. Then it will cover only one month per year. … The Ontario Autism Coalition intends to fight the changes. …
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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.
Loss of Brain Trust features over 9,000 news stories published worldwide since January, 2017
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
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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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