Parents decry cuts to B.C. autism program

Parents say they'refrustrated over the sudden loss of provincial funding for a Coquitlam program for children with autism.

For the past 12 years,a provincial agency calledAutism Fundinghas covered the costs for parents of kids with autism who enrol their kids in movement therapy in theCoquitlamprogram, held at a local gymnastics club.

The agency, funded by the Ministry of Children and Family Development,allows families to quality for up to $22,000 a year per child to help pay for autism intervention services.

However, for the last few months, parents say their applications for funding for the Coquitlam program have beenrejected.

"I'm very anxious because this has probably been one of the most effective therapies for my son," said Rebecca Gooding.

Her four-year-old son, Eli, was diagnosed with autism over a year agoand he has attended one-on-one has sessions with a therapist at the Coquitlamprogram ever since.

"Last year he was scared to even step on a scooter and now he's just super excited to try new things," she said.

"He's willing to try harder things because he's worked on it here. He knows it's a little bit safer and he has more confidence."

During half-hour sessions, a therapist takes Eli through different gymnastic activities like walking on a balance beam and swinging from a low bar, all designed to develop motor skills.The sessions cost $115 an hour and can be split into shorter 30- or 45-minute sessions.

The program, called Empowering Steps Movement Therapy,billsthe province for its programs that it offers to children under age six. In turn, each year parents send a request to Autism Funding,requesting that the agency pay for their child's therapy.

Program supervisor Alison Davidson said it typically takes four to six weeks forrequests to be approved.

"We've never had any issues until recently," she said.

Since January, she says, requests to Autism Funding from parents with children under six have almost all been rejected, meaning parents arenow on the hook for hundreds of dollars in payments.

Davidson says they've emailed the parents of the more than 30 kids affected to warn them.

Funding halted

The Ministry of Children and Family Development says it stopped funding theCoquitlamprogram because it wasn't included on a list of autism providers approved by the government.

The province did not explain why it's taken 12 years for it to notice the issue.

In a statement, it saidfamilies already approved for funding for theCoquitlamprogram can continue until the end of this funding year.However, future requests willbe only be approved if the program meets all of Autism Funding's requirements.

The ministry added that families can still access $22,000 in funding for eligible autism intervention services including with behaviour consultants, occupational and physical therapists, speech pathologists or behaviour interventionists.

Meanwhile, parents worry about how the loss of funding will affect their child's therapy program.

"We might be able to pay for some out of pocket, but that's a huge burden on families and many of us are already stretched very thin," said Gooding.

Without funding, the weekly sessions at the Coquitlamclubwill cost hermore than $300a month.