Senator Jim Munson Says Ottawa Has Done Little to Address Canada's Autism Crisis

Laverne Stewart of Fredericton's Daily Gleaner reports (September 24, 2013) that National autism advocate Senator  Jim Munson, shown left in his Parliament of Canada photo,  is frustrated, that after years of working to secure a national autism disorder spectrum strategy, Munson said the federal government has done little to address Canada's national autism crisis:

"In a phone interview with The Daily Gleaner, he said the federal government has started to look at what approach each province is taking to address autism.

“They’re different all across the county,” he said.

Munson said people across Canada need to keep pushing the federal and provincial governments for a better approach to addressing the needs of autistic individuals and their families.

“Autism has no borders. It doesn’t. Not in this country or any other country in the world. We live in this world where we say it is a provincial responsibility. It is not. It’s Canada’s responsibility … It is scandalous. We’re in crisis.”"

Senator Munson, is widely respect for his work on behalf of autism disorders  and he has done much over the past 10 years to keep autism on the national agenda, a major challenge since most of that time has seen the Harper government act in opposition to any effective National Autism Strategy.  Even with an Edmonton MP, Mike Lake,  who is clearly a  dedicated father to his own son with an autism disorder the government of  Harper and Lake have taken absolutely NO action to help autistic Canadians in need of effective early intervention, effective learning intervention for school or modern residential care , with autism trained staff, for the many adult Canadians with severe autism disorders who will require such care.

Senator Munson is very diplomatic.   With respect,  I do not agree that Ottawa has done little to address Canada's autism crisis.  The Harper government has in fact worsened that crisis with it's official opposition to a National Autism Strategy, an opposition so ferocious that even Edmonton MP and dedicated Autism Dad Mike Lake voted against Shawn Murphy's private member's motion that would have ensured access to effective, evidence based intervention for autistic children under our national health care plan.   The Harper government's opposition to an effective national autism strategy is so intense that it even cancelled a scheduled national autism strategy conference scheduled for Ottawa several years ago at which community autism representatives were expected to attend.  The event was rescheduled and the "community" autism representatives were hand picked to exclude any prominent autism advocates for a National Autism Strategy.  

Senator Munson has had the interests of autistic children and adults at heart for many years. Unfortunately for autistic children and adults, like my son, the Senator's  frustration is doomed to continue as long as Stephen Harper rules in Ottawa. 

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October is Autism Awareness Month in Canada, Canadian Government Still Doing Nothing Eh Mike Lake?

October is Autism Awareness Month in Canada.  You would never know it based on the contribution made by Canada's federal government which has taken a strict, division of constitutional jurisdiction, approach to autism disorders in Canada.  In other words it has said that addressing Canada's growing National Autism Crisis is not a concern of the federal government. 


Harper Conservative MP Mike Lake, who I have met in person and spoken with by phone, and who seems like a genuinely nice guy, speaks lovingly of his autistic son in Parliament with a few words recognizing  World Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd and that's pretty well it.  On Wednesday, February 21, 2007 Mr. Lake himself voted against Bill C-304, the private member's motion brought by Charlottetown Liberal MP Shawn Murphy,  an Act that would have amended the Canada Health Act and provided for the development of a national strategy for the treatment of autism.  

If non Canadians want an idea of how little is done by our federal government to help Canadians and their families suffering from autism disorders they need only refer to the October 2011 statement of former federal Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq:

Autism Awareness Month

October, 2011

Autistic disorders are heart-breaking conditions because they can cause developmental disabilities in very young children that may affect them for the rest of their lives. These disorders are typically diagnosed in children before they reach their fifth birthday. 

Autistic disorders have a broad range of symptoms. They can be mild to severe and tend to result in problems with social interaction, communication and behaviour. In Canada, it is estimated that Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) affect as many as 1 in every 150 children, as well as the lives of their families, friends and caregivers.

Important advances have been made in the way we care for and educate Canadians living with ASDs. Yet more research is needed to learn what causes these disorders and to help develop better treatments and interventions so that those afflicted with ASDs can live more normal lives.

As Minister of Health, I am pleased that the Government of Canada, in cooperation with our colleagues in the provinces and territories, is setting up a national surveillance system to establish reliable data to:  

• determine how common ASDs are and how rates differ across Canada;
• describe the population of Canadians living with ASDs; and
• understand changes in the number of children being diagnosed over time.

This information will help in developing programs to serve the needs of Canadians living with ASDs and their families and caregivers. In addition, the Government has invested approximately $40 million on autism-related research since 2000.

In closing, I want to congratulate the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance and Autism Speaks Canada for their dedicated work in this area.

Leona Aglukkaq

Minister of Health

Government of Canada

Prevalence data, clearly based on existing US information of that time,  is about the extent of the federal government's contribution to autism awareness in Canada. Interestingly neither former Minister Aglukkaq, nor autism dad Mike Lake, mention the parents who advocated with determination in provinces across Canada for early evidence based intervention for autistic children.  Nor do they mention federal political figures who have in the past made great efforts to bring a real National Autism Strategy to Canada including Fredericton New Brunswick's recently deceased Andy Scott, Peter Stoffer of Nova Scotia, Shawn Murphy of PEI, and Senator Jim Munson.

Canada has a national health care plan which does provide basic health care for Canadians.  It is not perfect. Anyone can legitimately cite personal grievances with the system but it is a system that does not exist in the neighboring US.  For that national health care plan developed a half century ago this Canadian father is very thankful.  It would not exist if the  Harper government's constitutional excuses had prevailed during that era. It does  not exist today for the purpose of addressing the  autism specific needs of Canadians suffering from autism spectrum disorders.

During Autism Awareness Month the Harper government, and presumably Mike Lake, will make a statement or two about autism and earn some political brownie points.  If past practice holds firm they will announce no significant federal government efforts to help address Canada's National Autism Crisis.  

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Jaden Lake's Autism on the Hill Rally - Well Done Jaden!

Edmonton MP Mike Lake, whom I have met (at IMFAR 2012 in Toronto) and communicated with a few times about autism in Canada, have different perspectives on the proper role for Canada's national government in addressing Canada's autism crisis.  The government of Stephen Harper, of which Mike Lake is a member,  is not a strong supporter of Canada's national medicare system generally and has done nothing to advance in a meaningful way the National Autism Strategy advocated for by former and present opposition MP's Andy Scott,  Peter Stoffer, Shawn Murphy and Glenn Thibeault and by Senator Jim Munson.   I know though that Mike Lake is a dedicated father and a strong advocate for his 17 year old autistic son Jaden, who appears to have many similarities to my own son with autism of the same age.  I enjoy seeing Jaden in television and video appearances and was pleased to read the Ottawa Citizen article about the Autism on the Hill Rally and the pictures featuring Jaden Lake.

Thank you for advocating for autism awareness and services Jaden! Well Done!

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Medicare's Orphans: Autism and Civil Rights Activist David Marley and The Fight For a National Autism Strategy

Medicare for Autism Now! has released episode 10 of our "Medicare's Orphans" web-series. This episode features Medicare for Autism Now, Civil Rights Now and co-producer of "Medicare's Orphans", David Marley. David is a former trial lawyer and long-time political activist. In this 25 minute interview, he discusses why it is crucial for Canadians, particularly parents and families of autistic children to become politically engaged.

As a parent I have advocated, together with other parents, for over a decade for a real National Autism  Strategy. Here in New Brunswick our advocacy involved working with former Fredericton MP Andy Scott over a decade ago for development of a National Autism Strategy which resulted in a strong commitment by Andy as reported by Tali Folkins in the Telegraph Journal on October 20, 2003:

"Fredericton MP Andy Scott said Saturday he has been lobbying prime- minister-to-be Paul Martin for a federal program to help young children with autism. "I desperately want a national autism strategy - and let me just assure you that Paul Martin knows it," Mr. Scott told supporters at a party celebrating his 10th anniversary as an MP in Fredericton Saturday evening.

Early work by therapists with young autistic children, Mr. Scott said, can make a big difference in their capacity to lead fulfilling lives as adults - and can save money in the long run. But the costs of starting such early intervention programs are high and should be borne directly by Ottawa rather than each individual province, he said. "We have responses and therapies and so on that I genuinely believe can work," he said. "You're going to save millions of dollars over the lifetime of an autistic adult. If you can get in at the front end, you can make enormous progress.

"But it's very expensive, and there's not a lot of stuff being added to Medicare, generally - that's why we have catastrophic drug problems and other things," he said. "In the province of New Brunswick, P.E.I., or even Quebec or Ontario it's very, very expensive. The feds are going to have to step up to the plate." "

As reported on Facing Autism several times Andy Scott, with NDP MP Peter Stoffer, and other MP's, was ultimately successful in getting a National Autism Strategy motion passed in the House of Commons. That effort was important in obtaining recognition of the need for a national autism strategy but it did not provide what parents of autistic children were fighting for from BC to Nova Scotia: a federal commitment to provide Medicare funding for ABA which to date remains the only evidence based effective intervention for autism.

The federal government has done nothing, absolutely nothing, to address the real needs of autistic children, school kids with autism or adults with autism needing assistance in the workplace or needing residential care. The federal government has done nothing to help those adults with severe autism who need 24/7 residential care and treatment. The federal government has stayed outside the battle content to hide behind constitutional jurisdiction line while ignoring the challenges faced by autistic Canadians and their families.

The fight for a real National Autism Strategy, one that includes medicare coverage for autism treatment has been long and difficult. I have met David Marley on several occasions, and very much appreciate having David with his his commitment and determination in our corner.  The fight for a real National Autism Strategy, a strategy built on inclusion of evidence based ABA treatment for children with autism disorders in our national Medicare has not been easy.  It is not easy now and will not be easy in the future.  We need everyone to pull together and fight.  

The current government, despite having within its ranks Alberta MP Mike Lake, father of an autistic son, is ideologically opposed to taking positive steps to ensuring that all children with autism, not just those living in Alberta, receive treatment under Medicare.

The Toronto Star reports that children in Ontario wait up to 4 years for therapy: The Autism Project: Children face up to four-year wait for therapy.  The significance of a 4 year wait is that children in Ontario are not receiving treatment during the critically important early years of 2-5.  In Ontario, early intervention for autism is largely non existent. The most effective treatment for autism is not generally available in Ontario.

Canada's 1 in 88 autistic children are, for the most part, doomed to move through the critical early years without the medical intervention they need.  The fight for medicare coverage for autism must continue and we need strong leadership, strong advocates.  David Marley has been answering the bell in this fight for many years.  Join David Marley and the Medicare for Autism Now! team, join the political fight to help Canadians with autism disorder receive the effective, evidence based autism treatment.  

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A Real Canadian Autism Hero - Stefan Marinoiu

Stefan Marinoiu is not a federal or provincial political figure, or an entertainment celebrity of any kind talking endlessly about raising autism awareness without taking any action to help the 1 in 88 Canadians who suffer from autism disorders.  Stefan is a real Canadian autism hero.  He has made courageous efforts to have our federal government address Canada's autism crisis. 

Stefan has raised autism awareness without the benefit of political or media connections. He has not done so in order to obtain free travel to Banff or the UN or to augment a political career, he has done it to help his son, Simon,  and  others with autism disorders.  He has done it by twice putting his life at risk with a mid winter walk :autism" trek from Toronto to Ottawa and with a  hunger strike.  I was very pleased to meet Stefan and his wonderful family in Toronto.  Stefan did not confine his efforts to simply raising the awareness as happens with so many much less challenging efforts. Stefan actually advocated for  our federal government to get involved in a meaningful serious way to address Canada's autism crisis.   

Unfortunately the Stephen Harper-Mike Lake government does not want to acknowledge or deal with Canada's autism crisis and there will be no federal progress in Canada as long as the Harper version of the Conservative government holds majority control. Not a single member of our Harper Conservative government, not even those with family members affected by autism, have bothered to push for meaningful federal efforts to address Canada's autism crisis. I doubt though that Stefan will give up.  I will try to follow Stefan's example and continue efforts to advocate for meaningful efforts by our federal government to address Canada's autism crisis.  

Those of us who believe that our federal government should offer meaningful assistance to the 1 in 88 Canadians with an autism disorder have to look past the Harper era and look to NDP and/or Liberal governments to address Canada's national autism crisis.  We can't  give up in the face of Harper's indifference, we must keep fighting and refuse to give up.

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Glenn Thibeault's REAL National Autism Strategy

In the past 36 hours I have criticized CASDA's claims to be advocating for a National Autism Strategy and to be presenting a unified national autism voice.  Lawrie Mawlam of CASDA, a conscientious and courteous individual with whom I have had the privilege of talking in recent months,  has taken some objection to my criticism and I thank her for expressing her opinions so forthrightly.   I hope though that CASDA will consider the criticisms of their efforts before rejecting them defensively.  I also ask CASDA, and any one else purporting to advocate for a National Autism Strategy to consider and support the private members bills of Sudbury MP Glenn Thibeault. The two bills express a clear and coherent National Autism Strategy that would be great benefit to autistic Canadians and their families and that is consistent with the efforts by many Canadians seeking a REAL National Autism Strategy for many years before CASDA and its constituent elements began seeking a national approach to autism.

I recommend that CASDA, Conservative MP Mike Lake,  and all others seeking a real and meaningful national autism strategy support, and encourage their members of Parliament to support, Glenn Thibeault's private member autism bills as described on Mr. Thibeault's site:

"THIBEAULT RE-INTRODUCES AUTISM LEGISLATION


2011 06 15


OTTAWA – Today MP Glenn Thibeault (Sudbury) re-introduced two Private member`s Bills designed to assist individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.


The first Bill would amend the Canada Health Act to include Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) and Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) as medically recognised treatments for individuals living with autism spectrum disorders.


The second would create a National Strategy for individuals living with autism spectrum disorders, therefore ensuring that these individuals would receive the highest level of care, regardless of which region of Canada they live in.


“Far too many Canadians and their families are coping with autism spectrum disorders without adequate support from any level of government” said Thibeault. “Together, these two Bills would ensure that all Canadians, irrespective of where they live, have access to the most appropriate forms of care and extended health services.”

“With negotiations between the provinces and federal governments on the Canada Health Accord starting in 2014, I am calling on the Government to implement the provisions of these bills to ensure that individuals suffering from autism spectrum disorders are properly covered by the Accord.”

Autism spectrum disorders are a spectrum of psychological conditions, including autism and Asperger’s syndrome, which are characterised by an impairment of social interaction, restrictive interests and repeated behaviours. Currently, around 1 in 200 Canadians – representing roughly 190,000 Canadians - are estimated to have autism spectrum disorders. Incidence rates have been on the rise over the past decade, with the prevalence rate in children estimated to be 1 in 165.

-30-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Bushell, Parliamentary Assistant (Glenn Thibeault): 613-996-8962 or glenn.thibeault.a2@parl.gc.ca"

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CASDA National Autism Strategy Is Not A REAL National Autism Strategy: It Does Not Help Canadian Autistic Children and Adults

In looking at the National Autism Strategy information from a CASDA (Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance) conference held in Ottawa on June 8 2011, and which I have posted following this comment,  I see that there is the suggestion for expansion of tax relief for autism families. That is certainly a specific, concrete step that will help some families with autistic children. Beyond that though I don't, with all due respect, see anything being proposed to assist autistic children, regardless of where they live in Canada, to receive evidence based effective early intervention, yes that still means ABA, a real education and for the many who will require it, decent, autism specific residential care and treatment as adults.

Early autism intervention across Canada resulted from a wave of focused determined parents advocacy which began over a decade ago. It did not result from conferences of persons building careers in politics or charitable bureacracies or attending subsidized conferences in Banff or Ottawa. 

I recommend that this organization stop pretending and start getting serious about helping with early intervention, education, adult residential care and treatment for autistic Canadians. Sorry I if sound harsh but these types of conferences, with their timid agendas,  have accomplished nothing over the past 10 years. Pretending to help is worse than doing nothing at all. It creates the illusion that something is being done when that is not the case.

Conservative government MP Mike Lake, to his credit, did provide  links to parliamentary sites if you are interested in following autism bills introduced by Sudbury NDP MP Glenn Thibeault who has been a determined advocate for a real National Autism Strategy for several years.  My final comment is to recommend to Mr. Lake and other attendees at the CASDA conferences to fight for a real National Autism Stategy as Mr. Thibeault has done along with fellow NDP member Peter Stoffer and former Liberal MP Shawn Murphy.

"In 2007, Autism Canada spearheaded the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance (CASDA) and today sits on the Leadership Committee. On June 8, 2011, Laurie Mawlam, the Executive Director at Autism Canada, was in Ottawa with the others on the CASDA Leadership Committee advocating for a National Autism Strategy. Please find below the notes from that meeting, including the individuals the Leadership Committee met with and a synopsis of their conversations.

  

Connor Robinson, Canada Revenue Agency

• Broadening the interpretation of existing categories of eligible expenses under the Medical Expenses Tax Credit to include more expenses often faced by families with a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Adding Autism Spectrum Disorder-related expenses to the list if eligible expenses under the Medical Expenses Tax Credit
• Clarifying the rules and procedures of the audit process                    

Lisa Belzak, Epidemiologist, Public Health Agency of Canada 

• The development and design of a National Surveillance System for Developmental Disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorders
• The creation of a nomination committee to create an advisory committee for the National Surveillance System
• The creation of an advisory committee for the National Surveillance System

Nathalie Gendron, Assistant Director, Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, Canadian Institute of Health Research 

• The current levels of funding for research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
• New developments that are in the works that should be made public shortly

The Honourable Jim Munson, Senator, Ottawa-Rideau Canal 

• Raising awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorders among Senators and Members of Parliament
• The reintroduction of Senator Munson's bill honouring Autism Awareness Day 

The Honourable Mike Lake, Member of Parliament, Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont 

• Reviewed outcome from meetings of the day
• Discussed Mike playing a role in reaching out to other MPs that have a family member with an ASD, to increase the base of support for a federal ASD agenda
• Reminder from Mike that the following website permits us to follow the progress of bills related to ASD -www.parl.gc.ca
• • There are presently two bills dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorder, which are being introduced by the Member of Parliament for Sudbury, Glenn Thibeault (NDP).
• • Bill C-218: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=5079448
•      Bill C-219: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=5080253
  
  
  These meetings were an opportunity for CASDA to reinforce the importance of action on the federal level in the area of Autism Spectrum Disorders and share our vision that all Canadians with an Autism Spectrum Disorder have full and equal access to the resources that they require to achieve their full potential.
  
  
  Thank-you for joining CASDA to ensure that our vision becomes a reality. Our strong, collective voice for the Autism Spectrum Disorder community at the federal level is making a difference!

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Harper Government's Autism Awareness Regression

I have attached an email and  blog comment I posted on May 9, 2007 addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in which I expressed the hope that he would open his heart (I assumed he had one) and his mind (I didn't know it was locked solid) and help autistic children wherever they reside in Canada. 

Since this comment in 2007 the numbers of children estimated to have an autism spectrum disorder have increased, by CDC estimates, from 1 in 150 to 1 in 110.  

As recently as this election campaign James Moore of BC, a cabinet minister in the Harper cabinet, has expressed the views that autism is not a disability and that persons with autism are simply an interest group.  

Notwithstanding the presence  in the federal Conservative party of Mike Lake,  a dedicated father of an autistic 15 year old son,  the Harper government  understanding of autism disorders has regressed since my 2007 letter.

May 9, 2007

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Dear Prime Minister

I am writing to you as the father of a severely autistic 11 year old boy living in Fredericton, New Brunswick and as an autism advocate for the past 8 years here in New Brunswick. Recently I was disappointed, bitterly disappointed, by two actions by your very tightly controlled government – the rejection of MP Shawn Murphy’s motion to amend the Canada Health Act to ensure autistic children, wherever they reside in Canada, would receive government funded treatment for their autism. Canada as a nation has long ago rejected the notion that accidents of geography should determine whether Canadians receive life sustaining or life enhancing medical treatment.

The arguments about constitutional jurisdiction advanced in justification are specious and you sir, with all due respect, know that. Canada has long operated on the basis of a model of cooperative federalism which has developed many legislative tools to ensure that narrow constitutional boundaries do not impair the quality of life in this great country. I will mention no specific examples because there are far too many for this to be a serious issue of contention.

Autism is a serious neurological disorder borne by 1 in 150 Canadians by currently accepted estimates. It also impacts on the lives of parents, siblings, grandparents and other caregivers. There is no known cure but there is a widely acknowledged, evidence based treatment available, Applied Behavioural Analysis, or ABA, which is supported by literally hundreds of studies, including recent studies, which document the effectiveness of ABA in improving the IQ, the linguistic skills and comprehension, the ability to function in the real world, of children with autism. In my son’s case, even with the limited ABA therapy which was available in New Brunswick at the time because of a shortage of trained personnel, he has made tremendous gains. From a child who could only scream and tantrum he became a child who can communicate using words, who is reading, albeit at a level below his chronological age, and who in fact almost daily pulls out books on his own initiative to real aloud for his own enjoyment. This is the ABA which parents seek across Canada, the USA and the world for their autistic children.

There are those who oppose ABA based on personal preferences, outdated and ill founded misconceptions about what ABA involves and quite simply on the basis of paranoid, conspiratorial beliefs that somehow they as human beings, as functioning adults, will be deprived of their personalities if someone else’s autistic children are taught fundamental living skills by use of ABA. They make stretched and tortured arguments about ABA turning children into robots. This is nonsense as they happy joyful pictures of my son which I will provide a link for in this letter can rebut with finality. They also make disingenuous attacks on the studies which have documented ABA based gains for autistic children ignoring the fact that literally hundreds of such studies exist all showing substantial gains. Critics also focus on costs of providing ABA ignoring the studies that have shown the huge financial savings to government in reduction of service provision over the lives of autistic persons who have benefited from ABA.

I do not actually expect you to personally read this email Prime Minister. I hope though that a conscientious staffer or, through the marvel that is the internet, a family member or friend, will see fit to read this and implore you to take action on behalf of Canadians with autism. You can make a difference in the lives of 1 in 150 Canadians Prime Minister. You can make a difference in the lives of their loved ones and care givers and you can save Canadian governments enormous sums by reducing the level of services required as a result of early intensive ABA intervention.

Please open your mind Prime Minister, open your heart, and do the right thing.

Respectfully,

Harold L Doherty
Fredericton New Brunswick

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Stimulus Money Mr Harper? Spend Some On Autism

Prime Minister Harper and Opposition Leader Ignatieff are rumbling over stimulus spending to recharge our economy.

Mr Harper wants a blank cheque from the opposition to spend without specifying what he would spend the money on. He threatens (again, yawn) to call an election if he does not get his way (of course Mr. Harper threatened to call an election for the past 2-3 years whenever the opposition disagreed with his spending plans but ran crying like a school yard bully to the Governor General to shut down Parliament when they stood up to him and called his bluff last December). Mr I quite reasonably asks for some specifics before agreeing to sign Mr Harper's blank cheque but appears to offer few specifics himself. Well here is a suggestion from AutismRealityNB.

Take a good chunk of that money and spend it on a conference of Canada's health ministers to draft a REAL national autism strategy to address Canada's autism crisis. Canadian children and adults with autism face a patchwork quilt of available autism treatment and services across Canada. With 1 in 15o Canadians (using CDC estimates from the US instead of the politicized information available in Canada) being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders it is time that Mr Harper, his health minister of the day and his party's token autism dad Edmonton MP Mike Lake started addressing Canada's autism crisis. The minister's should focus on one objective - establishing a mechanism for transferring federal tax dollars to the provinces specifically to provide evidence based treatment for autism and to provide decent residential care for autistic adults.

Canadian autistic children and adults do not need the same small clique of "autism researchers" conducting the same studies that do nothing to help autistic children or adults. ( Guess: Will Dr. Laurent Mottron and Michelle Dawson publish yet another study proving how smart high functioning "autistics' really are in 2009?). Canadian autism researchers have done nothing to actually help autistic children and adults particularly those at the lower functioning end of the autism spectrum.

Put the money into services that will actually HELP autistic children and adults. Put the money into making ABA available to autistic children wherever their parents live in Canada because studies, and credible (in other words, American) agencies, have found that ABA intervention helps autistic children make serious gains in all domains. Put the money into badly needed services for autistic adults like decent, humane residential care facilities where people matter more than profit.

Stop the silly posturing and help autistic Canadians. Whether Mr Harper believes it or not autistic Canadians are, despite their autism, still Canadians.

Spend some stimulus money helping Canadians with autism disorders Mr. Harper.

That is my stimulus suggestion for our out of touch federal leadership.

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An Open Autism Challenge To MP Mike Lake, Canada's Official Autism Dad

Mike Lake
Conservative Member of Parliament
Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont

March 3, 2009

Mike Lake
Conservative Member of Parliament
Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont

Dear Mr. Lake

I am the father of a 13 year old boy diagnosed with Autistic Disorder, assessed with profound developmental delays. I have in all candor been disappointed, very disappointed, with the positions you have taken in support of your party's refusal as Canada's governing party to take serious steps to address Canada's national autism crisis. I have read your statements in particular on treatment and funding of autism treatment for autism in Canada. I know that you do not need to be convinced of the benefits of ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) for the treatment of autism disorders. There have been several serious, credible reviews of the hundreds of studies which have examined the evidence basis in support of the effectiveness in treating autism. Apart from the ideological positions of a very small minority of professionals and autism advocates there has for some time been an overwhelming consensus endorsing ABA as an autism intervention. Yet you, as an autism father, and Member of Parliament, a member of the governing party in Canada, have taken no steps to ensure that funding mechanisms are put in place in conjunction with the federal and provincial governments to ensure provision of ABA for autistic children regardless of where their parents happen to live in Canada. I challenge you, as a fellow autism dad, one that has actually fought with some success to ensure the provision of autism services, to take steps while your party forms the government to ensure that all Canadian children with autism in need of ABA services are able to obtain them regardless of what province their parents live in.

As an autism advocate I have advocated with other parents for many years to obtain ABA interventions here in New Brunswick yet my name, although put forth, was twice rejected as a participant in the national autism symposium, along with many other serious parent autism advocates for ABA services for autistic children in Canada. You participated as a keynote speaker at that staged symposium. Although the symposium was obviously designed to cast doubt on the consensus of professional and parent support for ABA as an autism intervention the effort was undermined by the release just days prior to that event of the American Academy of Pediatrics Report, November 1, 2007, Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders which reviewed the professional literature and concluded much as the US Surgeon General, the New York State Department of Health, the MADSEC (Maine) Autism Task Force and the Association for Science in Autism Treatment that:

The effectiveness of ABA-based intervention in ASDs has been well documented through 5 decades of research by using single-subject methodology21,25,27,28 and in controlled studies of comprehensive early intensive behavioral intervention programs in university and community settings.29–40 Children who receive early intensive behavioral treatment have been shown to make substantial, sustained gains in IQ, language, academic performance, and adaptive behavior as well as some measures of social behavior, and their outcomes have been significantly better than those of children in control groups.31–4

American Academy of Pediatrics, Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Your party has used you, as an autism father, to help quiet the voices of those who were seeking to amend the Canada Health Act to ensure that all autistic children would be able to receive ABA intervention in Canada. You faithfully quoted the party line that this could not be done for legal and constitutional reasons. Fine. Leave that argument aside.

You also voted on December 5, 2006, along with your party, in support of Andy Scott's private members' motion M-172, seconded by Peter Stoffer which called for the development of a National Autism Strategy on the following terms:

“(a) the development, in cooperation with provincial/territorial governments, of evidence based standards for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder; (b) the development, in cooperation with provincial governments, of innovative funding methods for the care of those with autism spectrum disorder; (c) consulting with provincial/territorial governments and other stakeholders on the requirements of implementing a national surveillance program for autism spectrum disorder; and (d) the provision of additional federal funding for health research into autism spectrum disorder.”

Your name was clearly recorded on the yea side right between MP's Kramp and Lapierre:

YEAS -- POUR
...

Khan
Komarnicki
Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings)
Lake
Lapierre
Lauzon

While some money has been spent on research, with unknown objectives, no steps have been taken in 2 1/2 years to to develop, in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments, innovative funding methods for the care of those with autism spectrum disorder. In other words no steps have been taken to actually help autistic children and adults now living in Canada. Perhaps in 30 years the additional research dollars offered to Canadian researchers might play some role in offering some help to autistic persons not yet born. But here and now, in Canada nothing has been done by your government to help living autistic Canadians.

I know that you, as a Conservative MP from an Edmonton, Alberta riding have little to worry about politically. You could spend your time advocating for the protection of Bigfoot and other mythological creatures and still win landslide re-election for years to come. But I challenge you as an autism father who has actually advocated with some success for autism services for my son and other autistic children in New Brunswick, as one autism dad to another, to actually do something on behalf of Canada's autistic children and adults. You are a member of the governing Conservative Party. You have allowed your status as an autism parent to be used to support your government's refusal to act to include autism treatment in the Canada Health Act.

I ask simply that you use your standing in the party on autism issues to ensure that Prime Minister Harper and Health Minister Aglukkaq call a meeting of provincial health ministers to discuss funding of autism treatment and services for autistic children and adults living in Canada. This much you have already promised. This much you can do.

I challenge you as one "autism dad" to another, as one that has gotten some things done here in New Brunswick, to use your position in the governing party to actually do something for autistic Canadian children and adults.

Respectfully,


Harold L Doherty
Fredericton NB

cc. Facing Autism in New Brunswick

autism

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Deborah Meredith, Conservative Candidate Vancouver Quadra, Has No Time For Autism

Deborah Meredith, Conservative Candidate, Vancouver Quadra has no time to discuss issues affecting autistic children and adults. She is too busy trying to get elected to waste her time talking to an autism advocacy group in BC until AFTER the election as shown in this response to a group who had sought an interview with Ms Meredith:

"If elected I would be happy to meet with you to talk about autism and the Canada Health Act. I am awfully busy right now trying to win this election as I'm sure you can understand."

Elections are generally the period when citizens seek answers from the candidates before deciding who to vote for. Ms. Meredith's contempt for autistic issues is matched by her party leader, the sweater guy, Stephen Harper, alleged health minister Tony Clement and Alberta Conservative Mike Lake, father of an autistic child receiving ABA in oil rich Alberta who doesn't think the federal government should ensure that autistic children across Canada receive the benefit of ABA therapy.

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St. Amant and the Need for a REAL National Autism Strategy

In Autism treatment attracts family CTV reports the story of two doctors, Dr. Leif Sigurdson, a reconstructive surgeon, and his wife Dr. Leanne van Amstel, a radiologist. who are moving their family from Nova Scotia to Winnipeg so that their autistic son can access Applied Behavioral Analysis treatment at the Winnipeg's St. Amant program. As described on its web site:

St. Amant is a comprehensive resource for Manitobans with a developmental disability, acquired brain injury and autism. A non-profit corporation, St. Amant offers a wide range of programming, services and care to support individuals with a developmental disability, acquired brain injury or autism and their families.

Services include a large main residence, more than 50 community sites and homes, a research centre, a school and a daycare. Among other services, St. Amant offers an effective program for children with autism and for families who care for an individual with a developmental disability at home.

The Harper Conservatives, instead of dealing with Canada's Autism Crisis, have simply staged a national "Autism Symposium". It was a bad joke, postponed initially to avoid participation by parents advocating for funded ABA treatment for their children. The Symposium was nothing more than an effort to downplay ABA through carefully selected participants and a "facilitated" (directed) discussion. The American Academy of Pediatrics Management of Children with Autism Disorders report released the week before the Symposium, exhaustively researched and professionally written, highlighted the overwhelming body of evidence in support of the effectiveness of ABA in treating autism and put to shame the bogus National Autism Symposium staged by the Harper Conservatives.

The Sigurdson/van Amstel family is not the first to move across Canada seeking effective, ABA treatment, for an autistic child. While Stephen Harper, Tony Clement and Mike Lake run away from Canada's autism crisis, many families who are informed, and able to relocate, are going where effective evidence based treatment is available for their autistic children. In the case of the Sigurdson/van Amstel family Nova Scotia loses two medical professionals they can sorely afford to lose.

Canada's National Autism Crisis is directly affecting the autistic children being deprived of effective treatment solely because of where there families live. In some cases it is also resulting in the loss of essential medical resources for local communities.

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North Bay Needs A National Autism Strategy

In Autistic kids waiting for help Local agency can’t operate at its maximum capacity..... and families are suffering Brandi Cramer reports on North Bay's autism desperation. Early intervention, particularly in the 2 to 5 period, is acknowledged by all save the most rabid anti-cure ideologues as a critically important window of opportunity in treating autism. In North Bay Ontario Shannon Berger's three year old son was diagnosed with severe autism in September and has been on a waiting list for intense behavioral intervention treatment since. The local agency is running a deficit and has been unable to take on new clients. The Province of Ontario has increased funding in the region by100% in the last five years but the agency is still over strapped and the Province says agencies have to manage their budgets.

The truth is that North Bay needs a National Autism Strategy that would see federal dollars flow to the provinces to provide autism treatment. Medicare for Autism is needed NOW to ensure that ALL autistic children receive timely effective treatment regardless of where in Canada their parents live. The autistic son of Alberta Conservative MP Mike Lake deserves access to autism treatment. So too does Ryan Berger, the autistic son of Shannon Berger of North Bay, Ontario.

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Ottawa's Unfinished Autism Business

Autism should not be a partisan issue.

Here in New Brunswick progress has been made under the former Conservative government of Bernard Lord and the current Liberal government of Shawn Graham. It is more difficult to say the same of the situation in Ottawa where the separatist Bloc Québécois and the Conservative government of Stephen Harper combined to defeat Charlottetown Liberal MP Shawn Murphy's Private Members Bill C-304 which would have provided a real National Autism Treatment Strategy to ensure adequate financing and ABA/IEBI treatment for Canada's autistic children whether they had the good fortune to reside in a province sitting on large oil reserves or not.

The rationale for defeating Bill C-304 offered by the Harper Conservative party - that health care is a matter within provincial legislative jurisdiction - ignores the reality that we already have federal health care legislation - the very Canada Health Act that Bill C-304 would have amended. If the Canada Health Act itself can exist, whether by some constitutional basis for federal health care competency; or by the cooperation, compassion and common sense of Canadians then so too can an amendment to that Act.

Even weaker is the argument, often advanced by the Harper government's offical autism dad, Mike Lake, that:

If this Bill were to pass, autism would be the one and only disorder or disease named in the Canada Health Act. Cancer is not named. Neither is diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Why autism and not these? Why not Down Syndrome? Why not Schizophrenia?

Under the Canada Health Act, the provinces are clearly responsible for decisions on which medical treatments they will fund. If we are to maintain the integrity of the Act, only the provinces can make those decisions.

To answer the first question the fact that autism would be the first to be named should be irrelevant. The need for a national effort to address Canada's autism crisis is clear. The Conservative government acknowledged that fact when it adopted Fredericton MP Andy Scott' s motion calling for a National Autism Strategy. While recognizing the need for such a strategy the Harper government has steadfastly refused to put any teeth in it. If the need for a National Strategy exists to address other disorders and diseases they can be looked at on case by case basis. There is no reason not to name autism now because other disorders and diseases may also have to be considered. Each can be examined on a case by case basis as required.

Provinces across Canada have begun financing, to the extent they are capable, the ABA that has been acknowledged, most recently (October 29, 2007) by the American Academy of Pediatrics, as the most evidence based effective treatment for autism:

The effectiveness of ABA-based intervention in ASDs has been well documented through 5 decades of research by using single-subject methodology21,25,27,28 and in controlled studies of comprehensive early intensive behavioral intervention programs in university and community settings.29–40 Children who receive early intensive behavioral treatment have been shown to make substantial, sustained gains in IQ, language, academic performance, and adaptive behavior as well as some measures of social behavior, and their outcomes have been significantly better than those of children in control groups.31–40

Even Mr Lake has acknowledged the effectiveness of ABA in treating autism; he just doesn't seem to understand that not all provinces have the finances to properly fund ABA for all autistic children:

In my opinion, it is completely unacceptable for any province not to fund Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) for those who need it. If voters feel as strongly as I do about this, they must let their provincial governments know and then hold them accountable at election time.

As for the integrity of the Act what is that? An Act is established to give effect to the will of the people through their elected representatives on a given matter. They can change the scheme, structure, or "integrity" of the Act if that reflects the will of the people at that time. If Canadians want to provide financing for ABA treatment for autism, and judging by the number of provinces that provide some level of ABA treatment funding they do, then the only challenge for those provinces not as well off, is to find the money to adequately fund the treatment.

The last I checked the federal government has no qualms about taking money, in the form of taxes, from the pockets of Canadian families wherever they live. They should have no qualms about spending some of that money to help provide effective ABA treatment for persons with autism.

Mike Lake's autistic son deserves the opportunity to access the ABA treatment funded by oil rich Alberta. So too does Joe Smith's son in PEI, Jacques LeBlanc's son in Quebec and Joe Kowalchuck's son in Saskatchewan. It is long past time that the Harper government ceased making a mockery of its commitment to a National Autism Strategy and amended the Canada Health Act as set out in Shawn Murphy's Bill C-304. There is no good reason not to.

C-304

First Session, Thirty-ninth Parliament,
55 Elizabeth II, 2006

HOUSE OF COMMONS OF CANADA

BILL C-304

_____________________________________________

FIRST READING, MAY 17, 2006

_____________________________________________

MR. MURPHY (Charlottetown)

1st Session, 39th Parliament,
55 Elizabeth II, 2006

HOUSE OF COMMONS OF CANADA

BILL C-304

An Act to provide for the development of a
national strategy for the treatment of
autism and to amend the Canada Health
Act

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate and House of Commons
of Canada, enacts as follows:

SHORT TITLE

1. This Act may be cited as the National
Strategy for the Treatment of Autism Act.


NATIONAL CONFERENCE

2. The Minister of Health shall, before
December 31, 2006, convene a conference of
all provincial and territorial ministers responsible
for health for the purpose of working
together to develop a national strategy for the
treatment of autism. The Minister shall, before
December 31, 2007, table a report in both
Houses of Parliament specifying a plan of action
developed in collaboration with the provincial
and territorial ministers for the purpose of
implementing that strategy.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CANADA
HEALTH ACT

3. Section 2 of the Canada Health Act is
renumbered as subsection 2(1) and is
amended by adding the following:

(2) For the purposes of this Act, services
that are medically necessary or required under
this Act include Applied Behavioural Analysis
(ABA) and Intensive Behavioural Intervention
(IBI) for persons suffering from Autism Spectrum
Disorder.

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Wales Takes National Autism Action While Canada (Harper) Ignores National Autism Crisis

New, wide-ranging efforts to tackle autism and improve services for those who are affected by the condition were announced today by the Welsh Assembly Government. The Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Strategic Action Plan is to be launched today at the 3rd Wales International Autism Conference organised by Autism Cymru in Cardiff. Funding for the next three years has been identified with the first years funding of £1.8m being announced to drive forward key actions for the first years. Wales is the first country in the world to have established a cross-cutting national strategic action plan for ASD that will help the estimated 30,000 people that are either directly or indirectly affected by Autism in Wales.

.....

The Action Plan will drive improvements across both children, young people’s and adult services in health, social services and education services – and also expand into areas of housing, leisure and society in general.

- Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Communities , Health on Tuesday 22nd April 2008 - 12:13pm

It is encouraging to see a national government tackling its autism issues head on, without hiding behind any contrived excuse they can find to avoid helping the many citizens with autism disorders. Canadians, on the other hand, have a national government led by Prime Minister who is oblivious to autism and the autism crisis in our country. The nicest thing that can be said about Alleged Health Minister Tony Clement is that he doesn't really appear to know much about autism. MP Mike Lake of the governing Conservative party, and father of an autistic child, is an occasional autism "spokesman" for the governing Conservatives; usually helping Harper pass the buck. Of course Mr. Lake has more pressing matters on his agenda .... like presenting a petition to the House of Commons to protect the mythological Bigfoot creature. As for autistic children in need of treatment in Saskatchewan or Manitoba or the Yukon? Well Mike Lake needn't worry he lives in oil rich Alberta his child can receive government funded intervention until age 18.

Congratulations to the Welsh Assembly Government for doing what the Canadian government of Stephen Harper has not done; launch a national autism strategy to provide autism help to all its autistic citizens.

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