| MPP
Arnott chides government for using autistic children
like ‘political footballs’, demands improved services
for them
Waterloo-Wellington
MPP Ted Arnott spoke in the Ontario Legislature on April
20, 2004 on behalf of autistic children in his role
as Conservative spokesman for Children and Youth Services.
He said the following:
Mr
Ted Arnott (Waterloo-Wellington): Our caucus believes
that autistic children deserve to receive the best possible
intervention services from the government to enable
them to reach their full potential. What saddens and
angers their parents is that these children have been
used as political footballs. The Premier has not kept
his promise to extend intensive behavioural intervention
treatment beyond the age of six. This was another cynical
Liberal promise that was made in writing, during the
election, directly to a parent who is struggling to
help her autistic child. The government had a chance
to redeem itself with families with autistic children,
and they missed it.
When
our party was in government, we brought in the first
intensive behavioural intervention program for children
with autism and we made Ontario a national leader in
providing these services. We planned to continue to
increase funding and expand the program, unlike this
government that has broken a promise to hundreds of
autistic children and their families.
I
want the minister to tell this House how services will
be improved. How will they be provided in the future?
What will she do to shorten the waiting list for autistic
children who need intervention services? Will she set
an absolute maximum time between the date of assessment
and the initiation of service? How long a wait is acceptable
to her? Will she introduce an efficient complaints process
for parents who believe their children have been shortchanged?
Will she give priority consideration to children who
turned six while they were on the waiting list?
Finally,
what specific resources will she provide to parents?
Will she produce an IBI manual for parents so they can
reinforce and build upon the professional treatment
their children deserve and should receive?
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