To the editor:
More than a year ago, I wrote a letter to the editor about the Ontario Autism Program and their abysmally slow roll-out of the new OAP. In light of recent information, I wanted to share their equally abysmal progress and share some of the many reasons why this new program is not at all the "world-leading, needs-based program" they claim.
Just to recap, about 12 months ago, there were just 888 children accessing Core Clinical Services Funding, the "pillar" of the program that provides the therapies that are most impactful for children with autism. This was after almost 4 years of the waitlist being frozen.
As of March 31, there were approximately 6,400 kids with Core Funding. That is far less than the 8,000 promised by December 21st of last year, despite the MCCSS's claim that they "met their target". Meanwhile, the waitlist has grown to more than 60,000. That is 60,000 children that are currently being denied access to prescribed therapies, some of which are not just life-changing, but potentially life-SAVING.
When your child is diagnosed with autism, the doctors and professionals stress the importance of early intervention, and many suggest that you can access funding within months. From there, you register for the Ontario Autism Program only to find out that the current wait for funding is more than 5 years! This therapy can cost up to $100,000 per year, so for most people, paying out of pocket is just not possible.
The government will say that other "pillars" of the program will support children while they wait, but the vast majority of kids do not fit into the very specific parameters to qualify. They are time-limited and often behaviour specific. Many children are also removed from these pillars because their needs are too high. How ridiculous is it that a program meant to support autistic children will kick them out because they need too much help?
These are just some of the many problems with the program, not the least of which is the determination of needs process. It has no clinical input whatsoever and relies on parents to complete an emotional and stressful interview up to 6 hours long in which they must answer questions and articulate the daily struggles of their child. What if they don't understand the terminology used? What if English is not their first language? What if they are neurodivergent themselves and struggle with this kind of communication? Their children will inevitably have access to less funding than their peers.
Amidst all of these issues, we have a government that refuses to communicate with the public about any of this.
As a result of all of this, and much more, parents, guardians, and advocates will be protesting at Queens Park on October 16th. This will be the second time we have had to protest this government's handling of the OAP, which is ironic because Doug Ford specifically promised that we wouldn't have to protest during his campaign.
Cassie Rogerson
Callander
