Cuts to autism program anger parents

[projekktor id=’23781′]

Parents of autistic children are protesting the province’s decision to restrict a specialized behavioural program to kids under the age of 5.

IBI stands for intensive behavioural intervention and it’s a program that parents of autistic children say is irreplaceable, even though the province says children over the age of 5 won’t be eligible for it anymore.

The Ontario autism coalition planned rallies in at least 11 cities across the province just like the one today in front of Ted McMeekin’s office, to show just how opposed they are to the province’s decision.

“All those that are on that list will be given an $8 000 grant to assist the parents to access immediate therapy for those kids.” Ted McMeekin.

Intensive behavioural intervention helps an autistic child with speaking, playing, and cognitive skills. The province claims the ibi program doesn’t help after the age of 5. Robin Legg is a therapist who works with autistic children she disagrees.
“We get them at about 5, we start ibi and make amazing gains. This is absolutely not true that children don’t succeed after 5.”

The $8000 grant McMeekin spoke of, is to help parents of older autistic children pay for other therapy, but the parents we spoke to today said that will barely cover anything.