EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media website devoted to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park.
While the government has increased funding to the hubs in recent years, the head of an autism advocacy group says these numbers are a concern and that they don't capture the larger number of children throughout Ontario who are actually waiting to be assessed for autism. Additionally, she said many kids were "left unidentified" during the pandemic because they spent their preschool or senior kindergarten years at home or were learning online.
In some areas, she said, family doctors and pediatricians have stepped in to provide a diagnosis after some training so that families can at least register for the Ontario Autism Program , which, depending on the services needed, could result in more waiting. The Trillium previously reported that by the end of 2023, just one-in-five children registered for the province's autism program had been given funding for core therapy — a cornerstone of the program.
Lisa MacLeod, then the minister of children, community and social services, said in a social media post at the time that the government would "clear the diagnostic & support waitlists in 18 mos, empower families to choose services, double investments at diagnostic hubs & increase oversight of clinicians."Cameron said more funding is part of the solution, but so is increasing the workforce capacity.
The Trillium requested interviews with representatives from each of the five hubs. None granted one, but three did provide written statements before publication. The Children’s Treatment Network said there are various factors that contribute to the increased referrals and kids waiting for assessments and that the organization works with the government to "monitor demand and provide autism diagnostic assessments to as many kids and youth as possible."
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