Ontario Kids With Autism Aged 5 And Older Cut Off Of Government-Paid Therapy

TORONTO — Ontario children with autism aged five or older no longer qualify for government-funded intensive therapy, a move critics say is leaving many families in the lurch.

 

The Liberal government has announced a new Ontario Autism Program with $333 million in funding, but changes include limiting Intensive Behavioural Intervention to children between two and four.

 

Children and Youth Services Minister Tracy MacCharles says advice from experts was to focus on children in that developmental window.

 

She says the government will also be launching early-intervention diagnosis pilots to get kids diagnosed and on the wait list for treatment sooner, and families with kids five and older on the IBI wait list will get $8,000 to pay for treatment.

 

Lisa Meunier, a Brampton, Ont., mom whose nearly five-year old daughter has been on the IBI wait list for almost three years, says that amount will only pay for a few weeks of therapy.

 

The government says the changes mean that 16,000 more children will get access to services, mostly Applied Behaviour Analysis, a less intensive form of therapy.