An organization that provides autism support services in Guelph says it is keeping a close eye on additional changes announced by the Ontario government about how those services are delivered and paid for.
"Our government is fully committed to transforming how autism services are delivered in Ontario," said Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services in a news release.
Previously announced changes to the Ontario Autism Program are set to come into effect on April 1, but on Thursday MacLeod and the Ontario PC government announced some last minute additions.
MacLeod said one of the enhancements the ministry is exploring is providing additional supports to families based on the diagnosed needs of their child.
"Parents were right when they said that autism is a spectrum and that there are different needs for children on the spectrum," MacLeod said. "I'll take their input for the next several months to assess how we better support those with more complex needs and provide additional sources of support to them."
Children currently on an Ontario Autism Program Behaviour Plan will continue to receive those services until it’s end date, after which families will be able to renew it for an additional six months.
The six-month extension is a welcome announcement for KidsAbility.
“We were encouraged to hear that Minister MacLeod and her office will be consulting with families and service providers over the summer months to find ways to meet the unique and diverse needs of children with a wide range of complex needs,” said KidsAbility CEO Linda Kenny.
Recently, KidsAbility had to lay off a number of employees in Guelph and Waterloo Region due to the uncertainty around the changes to the program. Even with the announced changes, Kenny said the impact on the organization is unknown at this time.
“In the coming days, we will be seeking answers to some of the questions that we have regarding implementation plans and timing,” said Kenny.
“In the meantime, KidsAbility will continue our work in ensuring that families will have a menu of options in which they will be able to purchase evidence based services with their childhood budgets delivered by our highly-trained, professional and passionate staff and ensure that transitions into this new system will be as smooth as possible.”
The ministry is also eliminating income testing for families with children and youth under the age of 18 with an autism diagnosis. Eligible children under the age of six will receive $20,000 annually in direct funding, while children and youth aged six to 17 will receive $5,000 annually.
The ministry said it is working to move all 23,000 children off the current wait list.
“The removal the income testing that had previously been required of families is a positive step forward in increasing access to much-needed services for children with autism spectrum disorder,” said Kenny.