Montreal groups who deal with autism react to Ottawa’s plan to fund national autism strategy

The federal government gave a ray of hope to half-a-million Canadians diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with Tuesday’s budget announcement of a $20-million investment to create a national autism strategy.

A total of $10.9 million will be spent on a new online resource for families. While many applaud the move, some would rather see the money be invested into providing direct services.

It’s no secret that people with ASD face countless hurdles throughout their lives. From long waiting lists to a lack of services, the current situation has been called a humanitarian crisis across Canada.

“We’re talking about generations of children,” said Autism Montreal family intervention specialist Electra Dalamagas. “Now we’re at 1 in 68 (people who have ASD), some say 1 in 45. Are we gonna wait until we’re 1 in 20 to do something about this?”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're talking about generations of children," said Autism Montreal family intervention specialist Electra Dalamagas. "Now we're at 1 in 68 (people who have ASD), some say 1 in 45. Are we gonna wait until we're 1 in 20 to do something about this?"

Montreal’s Miriam Foundation was instrumental in getting the federal government to fund the initiative. The first step in the national autism strategy will be to build an online portal called Autism-Intellectual Disability National Resource and Exchange Network (AIDE) to provide resources for families, therapists and caregivers.

“We’re thrilled that the federal government decided to fund it (national autism strategy),” said Warren Greenstone, Miriam Foundation’s president and CEO. “It’s certainly a sector that has been underfunded and hasn’t been supported until now.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're thrilled that the federal government decided to fund it (national autism strategy)," said Warren Greenstone, Miriam Foundation's president and CEO. "It's certainly a sector that has been underfunded and hasn't been supported until now."

The goal is to give families in all regions better access to reliable, evidence-based resources once they’re hit with an autism diagnosis.

Autism Montreal calls it a small step in the right direction .

“Anything that can provide more access to clear information is never a bad thing,” Dalamagas said. “Will it help in changing the problem of the lack of services across Canada? Probably not.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Anything that can provide more access to clear information is never a bad thing," Dalamagas said. "Will it help in changing the problem of the lack of services across Canada? Probably not."

Some families would rather see more money in the pockets of people who need it.

Montreal father Sam Kuhn has spent the last few weeks outside the social services minister’s office begging for help after his daughter was kicked off the waiting list for speech therapy.

“If that’s the best they can do is build a website for $10 million, it’s not groundbreaking, it’s underwhelming,” Kuhn said.

“It’s gonna be much more than a website,” Greenstone told Global News. “There’s going to be a library of resources, there’s going to be a lending library of items that can be borrowed or purchased.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's gonna be much more than a website," Greenstone told Global News. "There's going to be a library of resources, there's going to be a lending library of items that can be borrowed or purchased."

All sides agree a national strategy on autism is a positive step.

Advocates and families are hoping the Quebec government will follow in the footsteps of other provinces by giving more funding options to families dealing with ASD.

“What I would like to see in Quebec is direct funding to families similar to what is offered in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia,” Greenstone said. “That way, parents are provided funding and they can go obtain the services.”