VICTORIA - The B.C. Children's Ministry is dropping funding for what it calls a Cadillac treatment program for 70 autistic children in order to give more money to more than 800 kids who receive autism funding from the government.
Children's Minister Mary Polak said Wednesday her ministry will offer more autism treatment money to more children rather than fund an intensive program that costs $70,000 per child.
She said the government will drop its $5 million Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention program next January, and in April will increase to $22,000 a year from $20,000 the amount of money it provides to families with autistic children under six.
Autism funding has been a matter of intense legal and emotional debate in British Columbia.
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2004 that the government did not have to pay for the cost of an early intervention autism treatment known as Lovaas therapy. The ruling overturned two lower court rulings that said the government's refusal to pay the costs was discriminatory.
Polak said the creation of the B.C. intensive autism therapy program was partly in response to the court battle, but the time has come to bring more equality to the way the province funds autism treatment.
"It was a matter of us looking at what is the best way to serve the most kids and give them the most funding we can," said Polak. "The reality is we need to look at the ability we have to serve as many children around the province as possible."
The Autism Society of British Columbia says cutting the intensive autism program hurts children, even if the government says it is using the extra money to help other children.
Michael Lewis, president of the society, said the extra $2,000 a year will barely cover extra money families will have to pay next year to cover the cost of the new harmonized sales tax, which will add seven per cent onto treatment costs.
Autism services currently only include the five-per-cent federal Goods and Services Tax, but are free of the seven-per-cent B.C. provincial sales tax. The proposed 12-per-cent B.C. HST is set to take effect next July.
Lewis said he is not convinced by Polak's argument that early intensive program is being dropped because it was not producing enough solid results for the money.
"That potentially has a staggering impact on these children," he said. "If they are suggesting a 10-hour-a-week program is the same as a 40-hour-a-week program, I would certainly like to see that peer-reviewed data that suggests that."
Polak said the ministry found little improvement between children in the intensive program than those in regular autism treatment programs.
"We have to look at the outcomes and when it comes to what was occurring, . . . we were not seeing any appreciable improvements in the outcomes for those kids," she said. Polak said the seven B.C. locations providing the intensive autism therapy will continue to work with children, but families will be expected to pay for the treatment.
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DPL
2 years ago
POlak is in over her head,
POlak is in over her head, and will say and do exactly what Gordo tells her to say and do, keeping her higher salary as a Minister. The kids? well let somebody else worry about their condition seems to be the name of the game. It's sad and shortsighted to treat the little ones as simply numbers
Polakite
2 years ago
DPL, respectfully
I don't get why you feel the need to lob personal attacks on the Hon. Mary "Rockette" Polak, MLA. This is the same cabinet minister who openly sought this job, has ran a business (and yes, I consider 100 pollsters at the bottom of the ocean... A START! At least Mary Polak has convictions of public service, courage and expanding human freedom), served on a school board - and mediated a tough dispute as its chairwoman and gave a beautiful speech last Wednesday that some are calling the "Back in Black" speech that's on YouTube.
So DPL if you wish to opine, plz do so with equal facts to your fevor. Thanks!
rsell
2 years ago
Save the Children - Stop Polak!
Without any consultation or warning, the Mary Polak (Minister of Family and Children Development) pulled the rug out from under these parents who are already enduring so much by eliminating their ability to control these funds. The government, who have consistently failed to understand the needs of these families has taken it upon itself to eliminate the option to do Direct Funding (direct from the parents to the service providers) and has instead dictated that these parents have to tow the line of mandated Invoice Funding where the government pays the service providers. This will increase overhead costs, delay the payments, reduce the quality of care and will make paying these service providers extremely difficult therefore reducing the amount of usable funds and discouraging assistance.
The frustration in the Autism community lies in the fact that these parents, who are on the brink of financial collapse, already spent precious funds to fight the government in the courts a few years ago to protect their children and won the Auton lawsuit (Auton vs BC Gov). The government at that time did finally put Direct Individualized Funding into place. This allowed parents to fund their child’s ABA programs and since that time parents have built a strong, quality base of ABA service providers that is making a real difference to these children. The ABA program takes a child who would otherwise be lifelong financial burden on the society and in many cases makes him/her self sufficient.
In these financial times are we prepared to sacrifice the children? Do we want to go down this low moral road? Are we prepared to make the small amount of funds these parents receive that much less and that much more difficult to put into action? Why is the government spending more tax money just to make it difficult for these parents?
For all that is good a decent, please spare the children.
Polakite
2 years ago
rsell, good ideas but...
There are some that argue that Min. Polak - whose mother had cerebral palsy - is simply evening the playing field with limited resources for those w/ other disabilities. Why should autism get more than cerebral palsy?
Just asking.
Alsi, if I may ask, since we can't cut the Olympics (contractual obligations both the BCNDP in 2001 before they were booted out and BCLibs since have signed on to), how would you pay for this program rsell?