AUTISM SERVICES IN PEEL IN HIGH DEMAND

Alessya Coletta said changes to the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) over the years have been turbulent for parents, and some go to great lengths to pay for services out of pocket.

“Parents have no idea when their funding is coming to them,” said Coletta, a board-certified behavioural analyst and senior behaviour therapist at the Birch Centre in Brampton.

Under the current provincial system, caregivers are entitled to a one-time payment of $5,500 or $22,000 based on the age of the child.

Many parents try to make their provincial money stretch for as long as they can, bringing their children for only a few hours a week, and others go through their funds fairly quickly trying to get a session of intense therapy.

“What we want is consistency

and longevity,” Coletta added, explaining there needs to be enough time spent working with children in a week to accomplish their goals, and also on a longer-term basis to see true growth in skills.

"I wish you could see," she said, talking about the changes that are possible through therapy for children with autism.

Brooke Krumrei's sixyear-old son Thanos is one of countless children in Peel living with autism or autism spectrum disorder, a condition caused by differences in the brain which can impact social communication, interaction and behaviour.

Krumrei often gets a call from her son's school, asking to come and pick him up.

They tell her that Thanos is having a bad day and needs to go home.

Krumrei says there just isn't enough support in the school system for her son when he is overwhelmed or triggered by the noise and excitement of the traditional classroom setting.

"I know my son, he's overwhelmed easily," said the Mississauga mother, explaining she gets a call at least once a week. "I know they're doing everything they can."

Krumrei said there was much more support available for her son before the age of five, including more one-on-one support in kindergarten.

They have already used the provincial funding allotted to them for therapy.

"I spent it almost right away," she said, on half days of therapy, three times a week. "It's very expensive."

She said her son can now make out letters and spell his name.

"He taught himself how to read," she said, explaining he is particularly interested in learning different languages, and caught his parents off guard one night when he answered his dad in German.

"He is such a sweetheart," Krumrei said. "He tries very hard to connect with everyone."

The Ontario government had a target of providing 8,000 children with core clinical services by the end of fall 2022, but by August had served 888 children, according to a report from The Canadian Press.

"Our government reached its target of 8,000 children enrolled in core clinical services and every child and youth registered with the Ontario Autism Program has now been asked to transition to AccessOAP, which helps families and youth navigate the program from intake to funding," said Kristen Tedesco, spokesperson for the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.

She said the portal is the entry point for the provincial funding program, and encourages parents to sign up.

Coletta said the time and effort spent working with children with autism can mean the difference of a lifetime, being able to talk, use the washroom independently and go on to lead fulfilling lives.

She remembers one mother breaking down and crying one day after bringing in her recently diagnosed son.

He was young and had a bathroom incident at daycare that left her crushed.

Now six years later, her son talks in full sentences, goes to school, does activities with his family.

"These were things that were not even an option in her mind," Coletta said, remembering her first conversation with the mother.

"We can't keep up," she said of the demand for therapists and autism services. "There's just not enough of us."

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: After reading the news that the Ontario government had enrolled less than 1,000 children into OAP core clinical services this past summer, staff at the Guardian wanted to know how this program is impacting countless families in Peel.