Aug 9, 2018, Sudbury Star:"Our schools don’t commonly have the proper services,” Star: Private speech-based preschool filling a gap for vulnerable children in Regina https://www.thesudburystar.com/news/local-news/private-speech-based-preschool-filling-a-gap-for-vulnerable-children-in-regina/wcm/f2d32dcb-239d-4f32-80da-161adee3e625 Lewis Parker was four when he was diagnosed with autism a year ago. Lewis’s autism came with a speech delay. At age three, he couldn’t talk. And, through the public health system, he would go five weeks or longer between sessions with a speech pathologist. … So, this fall— in addition to kindergarten 2 ½ days per week — five-year-old Lewis will also attend a new private preschool that has a focus on speech. Pathways Learning Centre is the first private preschool of its kind in Regina, slated to open in October. “We know early intervention and prevention is so critical, especially in those early years in pre-K age,” said Maegan Mason, who co-founded the preschool with her colleague Cari Thiele. Both are speech pathologists…. Their “inclusive and integrated” preschool, which is currently under construction in northeast Harbour Landing, will offer four classes for three- to five-year-olds, with room for up to 16 students per class. There will also be a junior preschool class with 12 spaces for two-year-olds…. Most children will attend two days per week, for a total of five hours per week, for a monthly cost of $349…. The Regina Public School Division in spring 2017 decided to close its Discovery Preschool for children who have intensive needs, a casualty of provincial government budget cuts. A year later, with federal government funding, the division announced a new pilot program offering 36 prekindergarten spaces for children who have intensive needs. Because Lewis has autism, he qualifies for $4,000 in new provincial funding for support services, which will help cover his preschool tuition.

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.