Collective Voice of the Autism Community in Canada Calls on Government to Take Steps to Establish National Autism Strategy

OTTAWA,
ONTARIO—(Marketwire - Nov. 5, 2007) - The Conservative Government has
provided its response to the Standing Senate Committee recommendations
on Autism in its Response to the Report of the Standing Senate
Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, Pay Now or Pay
Later: Autism Families in Crisis, tabled on October 17th, 2007.



Good news in the federal response is the announcement of a new
Autism Research Chair at Simon Fraser University focusing on the study
of treatments and interventions. Autism organizations are encouraged to
see more focus on applied research and best practices. In addition the
government has promised further funding for ASD research in general,
has committed to hosting a fall research symposium and is promising
more investigation into the potential for developing national
surveillance on ASD.

The response states that "the Government of
Canada acknowledges the complexity of the challenges related to ASD and
agrees with the Committee that there is much work to be done to enhance
collaboration and evidence on this issue…" Autism advocates across
Canada had hoped that the federal government would take a stronger
position in response to the report, which provides unmistakably clear
direction. A number of key organizations are coming together to urge
our federal government to take a clear leadership role in confronting
what truly is a national problem.



Last December, the Standing Senate Committee investigating Funding
for the Treatment of Autism heard from hundreds of families, adults
with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), experts in treatment and service
delivery, researchers and Autism advocacy organizations across Canada -
representing the over 200,000 children, youth and adults affected by
ASD in this country. These figures, which are sobering enough, do not
represent the true number of Canadians affected by the lack of adequate
action and services for ASD. Parents, other family members and
caregivers are also deeply affected, emotionally, socially and
financially.



In its ground breaking report entitled, PAY NOW OR PAY LATER:
Autism Families in Crisis (March 2007) the bi-partisan Senate Committee
recommended some urgent initiatives that the federal government could
implement over the next two years in response to the crisis situation
faced by many individuals with ASD and their families.



Most importantly, both Conservative and Liberal members of this
Senate Committee called on our government to develop a comprehensive
National Autism Strategy to address the complex needs and glaring
inequalities in public funding and access to targeted services and
treatment across the country.



ASD typically presents lifelong challenges to those individuals
diagnosed as well as to their family members and to society as a whole
- a comprehensive national plan is vital.



The government declined to take up the Senate’s recommendation to
lead the way forward in committing to a National ASD Strategy. In spite
of receiving hundreds of hours of testimony from all concerned;
well-vetted and honed down by a dedicated committee of Senators, it
seems that: "… governments do not yet know enough about ASD and its
treatments to implement effective and well-informed strategies that
would lead to meaningful outcomes,…". The 12-page response is very
focused on knowledge gaps and provides a great deal of information
about current special needs programming - little of which is
Autism-specific.



Our government’s Senate Committee also supported fully the
recommendation of a federal/provincial/territorial ministerial
conference to look at innovative funding arrangements for the purpose
of financing Autism therapies, defining essential services and looking
at new family support measures but the government has also declined to
take up this recommendation. With the exception of First Nations and
Inuit communities, the response is in keeping with federal practice and
places all responsibility for health and educational funding decisions
on transfer payments and service delivery squarely on the provinces and
territories. This is in striking contrast to the U.S. policy dealing
with the same funding crisis: the United States’ Combating Autism Act
of 2006 authorized the federal government to spend $US 945 million over
five years for Autism research, screening, intervention and education.
Last week the joint U.S. House and Senate conference committee approved
$37 million for this year’s spending on autism services and treatment
programs alone.



While progress has been made, it is clear that Autism Spectrum
Disorders have not yet found their rightful place in the health,
education and social service sectors at any level of our governments.
Working in the Autism field, we hear daily the stories of the mental
and financial hardship that parents, family members and many adults
with ASD experience. We are deeply concerned about the shortage of
services; we recognize from first-hand, on-the-ground experience, the
urgent need for qualified professionals to work with individuals with
ASD.



Immediate action is needed to address these glaring gaps.



Now that this response has clearly acknowledged the seriousness of
the pressures facing families and individuals with Autism - we hope the
next step will be for our federal government, in cooperation with all
of the provinces and territories, to take a leadership role with
respect to Autism. Our growing stakeholder Alliance of ASD advocates
and professionals working in the field provides an excellent and
willing collaborative resource to assist this government in taking up
the Senate’s call to develop a comprehensive National ASD Strategy to
address the lifespan issues of individuals with Autism Spectrum
Disorders. If our government is seeking input in developing such a
strategy, the expertise is certainly available.



We call on the Canadian government to embrace the recommendations
of its Senate and to show the leadership we so badly need to address
this crisis as other countries have done. We all feel strongly that a
National Autism Strategy must be formulated very soon and that
developing this strategy should be vigorously pursued.