Saskatchewan, Canada's Autism Wasteland, Is Exhibit 1 in the Case for a National Autism Strategy

More than three years after I described Saskatchewan as Canada's Autism Wasteland the label still accurately describes the state of autism services in the prairie province according to a FEAT opinion article in the Star-Phoenix. 

The Families for Effective Autism Treatment article argues that some money has been spent but it has been spent ineffectively and cautions anyone with an autistic child not to move to the "Land of the Living Skies" as Saskatchewan markets itself:

It sounds impressive when you hear about all the money being put into autism and programs the government is running, but ask families across Saskatchewan about how well this money is being spent. Ask our government for current and regular report cards. Ask what successes it has accomplished with these new programs and positions. Ask it to provide statistics on how many individuals receive adequate and professionally trained support.

Ultimately, individuals with autism continue to lose.

....
 

Our children do not have time to waste while valuable dollars are spent creating expensive, ineffective services that aren't based on evidence and research. Our children need the help of proven therapies before they become another sad statistic lost in Autism's Wasteland.

Let your voice be heard for those who cannot. Saskatchewan can't afford to keep spending millions of dollars for ineffective programs that do not help individuals with autism. Let's use the money wisely and try not to re-create the wheel.

SASKFEAT is demanding immediate individualized funding, which is not income tested, until an acceptable and proven autism strategy is in place in Saskatchewan -- a strategy that addresses the lifetime needs of all individuals with ASD, and that is delivered across this province. Our families have been waiting and suffering long enough.

3 years after Saskatchewan started to fund autism services they still do not have an effective autism strategy in place. It is the autistic children of Saskatchewan who lost their 3 years of development potential, particularly during their early years between 2 and 5, who will have lost the most and who will pay the price for government and bureaucratic nonchalance or incompetence. 

Saskatchewan, Canada's Autism Wasteland, is also Exhibit 1 in the case for a National Autism Strategy.

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A Moving Autism Song and Video

This autism song and video speak volumes. I hope the government of Saskatchewan, and other governments in Canada, the US and the world, will listen.

Autism in Saskatchewan ~ Fall of 09 ~ a Production by A.C. @ Yahoo! Video

autism

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Saskatchewan Still Canada's Autism Wasteland

More than two years since I described Saskatchewan as Canada's Autism Wasteland the government of Saskatchewan is still dithering, and delaying instead of putting a quality system of autism services in place to help that province's autistic children.

In all fairness to Saskatchewan's political and public service elite they may not know much about autism disorders, or the importance of timely early intervention in helping autistic children live fuller, richer lives. Their failure to provide an autism intervention system with quality and integrity for autistic children across Saskatchwan appears to indicate a lack of any real understanding about autism disorders or the importance of early intervention in helping autistic children make real gains that will help them live fuller lives.

The Leader-Post reports that parents of autistic children rallied at the Saskatchewan legislature Thursday to protest lack of funding and provision of properly trained autism support workers. Tim Verklan, president of SaskFeat, Saskatchewan Families for Effective Autism Treatment, commented on the lack of properly trained help:

"We get warm bodies — with good intentions, but warm bodies — working with our children and they just fall farther behind.”

Apparently the Saskatchewan government has a plan in place but does not understand the urgency, the time sensitive element of providing intervention to autistic children:

"NDP health critic Judy Junor said parents aren’t getting access to adequate treatment.

“It’s very time sensitive. These children can really progress so quickly with intensive therapy that meets their particular needs,” Junor said outside the assembly.

Parent Arden Fiala, whose daughter has Asperger syndrome, said she wants government to know there’s an urgency to the call for a strategy and for “individualized” funding in the interim that is not income-tested.

“The start of the action plan of the (Premier Brad) Wall government is just that — a start. It is not addressing the immediate and critical needs on the front lines and we’ve yet to see the benefits,” Fiala said."

Timid, incremental, baby steps will preclude many autistic children in Saskatchewan from obtaining the help they need.

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Autistic Teen Missing In Saskatchewan

From the Saskatoon StarPhoenix:

Police are asking for the public's help after a teen with autism went missing Sunday.

Albert Edward Smallchild, 17, was last seen at home on the 2900 block of 20th Street West at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The aboriginal teen, who is six feet tall and weighs 190 pounds, was wearing grey shorts and a grey short-sleeved shirt.

Police say Smallchild understands directions, but does not know his address or how to get home.

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Autistic Children Lost On Waiting Lists In Canada's Autism Wasteland

In Waiting list for help is long the Leader-Post this weekend reports on the autistic children getting lost on the waiting lists in Saskatchewan, Canada's Autism Wasteland. The Leader-Post reports that Saskatchewan is the only province in Canada without a comprehensive treatment program for autistic children. At the Autism Resource Centre in Regina one child has been on a waiting list for services for 2 1/2 years and is still number 66 from the top. Once at the top of the list, a child will receive a program plan and some support services but no treatment program. The extremely valuable early years development time is being lost due to government indifference.

The school years are no different in Canada's Autism Wasteland where the Saskatchewan government nonchalantly relies on the approach that schools are expected to provide all students' needs from special education funding - without the funding and trained personnel to provide autism specific educational assistance to autistic children. The result - autistic students - even non verbal autistic students - are dumped in the mainstream classrooms without proper help.

What is it in the air or the water in Saskatchewan that has caused its political and civil service leadership to be so indifferent to the needs of autistic children? How can they just ignore the needs of vulnerable children?

It is not simply a money issue. New Brunswick is on a similar economic and population footing as Saskatchewan but much more has been done here for our autistic children and much more continues to be done.

It is not like the Saskatchewan leadership can rely on ignorance as an excuse. With internet communications today it is impossible for any conscious, and conscientious, leader to pretend that they do not know that 1 in 150 children in their jurisdiction will be diagnosed with this neurological disorder.

It appears that, apart from calloused indifference, the explanation for Saskatchewan's inaction may lie in proximity to Canada's wealthiest province - Alberta. The much healthier funding for autism services in Alberta has resulted in some Saskatchewan families moving next door to obtain treatment for their autistic children.

Why is Saskatchewan Canada's Autism Wasteland? Is it possible that the Saskatchewan leadership is simply leaving it to their Alberta neighbors to deal with? It certainly looks that way.

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No Autism Talk in Saskatchewan Election

Saskatchewan's Leader Post is covering autism this weekend, including profiling some autistic children and their families and notes that in Canada's Autism Wasteland the politicians are remaining silent on autism during the Saskatchewan election with none of the parties featuring an autism plank in their party platforms.

The lack of discussion of autism issues is featured in Autistic children get lost in election shuffle an article which also features SASKFEAT's Lisa Simmermon, herself the mother of an autistic child and a long time autism advocate. The provincial politicians in Saskatchewan are using their own delay and neglect of autistic children as an excuse for not being in a position to provide autism services, using the standard, "we have to consult the stakeholders", lines to explain why they are not in a position to start implementing autism specific programs.

We went through that song and dance years ago in New Brunswick when the Interdepartmental Committee on autism services took 18 months to report that there were few autism specific services in New Brunswick. That report then went unread by the lead minister on the Committee, then Health Minister Elvy Robichaud for almost a year.

In another flashback moment, a Kim Campbell moment, the Leader-Post reports that Lisa Simmermon was told by one provincial politician that "an election is not a time to comment on government services." Yeah, right.

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Canada's Autism Wasteland To Take First Step Forward

It is hard to believe that Canada has a province with NO autism program in place at all but that appears to be the case in Saskatchewan where the "Faces of Autism" conference is being presented by Newfoundland native Carolyn Forsey on October 26-27, in Meadow Lake Saskatchewan, some 10 years after similar advocacy and awareness efforts began in Newfoundland. The conference is hosted by Saskatchewan Health, Meadow Lake Tribal Council, Prairie North Regional Health Authority and Northwest School Division #203 and will feature author, teacher, trainer, keynote presenter and consultant Barbara T. Doyle MS and Ronald Leaf, Ph.D licensed psychologist and co-author of A Work in Progress, a book on behavioral treatment.

Forsey said Saskatchewan is far behind the rest of the country when it comes to autism support.

“In Newfoundland in the beginning they were diagnosed with autism and told to go home and forget about it, and Saskatchewan parents, that’s what they are living with,” she said. “In Newfoundland we began this process and it’s sad that ten years later Saskatchewan is going through the same thing.”

She added that today, Newfoundland has child management specialists and behaviour specialists to work with autistic children, and the government continuously puts money towards autism intervention. Currently, Saskatchewan Families for Effective Autism Treatment (SASKFEAT) is working towards getting the much needed support for families in the province.

“Saskatchewan is the only province that does not have a provincial program set in place for ASD,” explained Ferguson. “There’s nothing in the province of Saskatchewan for the parents.” Winkler said this conference is a step in the right direction, but it is just the beginning. “I think it needs a focus, and I think this conference will help do this,” he said.

“The government needs to be pushed and there needs to be a focus and recognition of difficulties faced by the parents of people suffering.”

Forsey said she hopes that at the very least, this conference will give the parents and those affected by autism a little hope. “We need to tell the parents, you know what, we’re going to start to try to do something really good for these kids,” she said. “Parents are going to leave there with a sense of hope. That’s the whole premise of this conversation. They’re not alone."

As someone who has been actively involved with autism advocacy in New Brunswick for the last 8 years I can empathize with the predicament of Saskatchewan families who have such a big hill to climb. Fortunately they should be able to catch up more quickly through emulation of, or at least by learning from, existing programs in other Canadian provinces and US states.

Of course it would be easier if there were an injection of funds to assist the people of Saskatchewan construct programs even remotely similar to those of oil rich, next door neighbor, Alberta. With the federal government of Stephen Harper, oblivious to the needs of autistic Canadians, that could be difficult. The mythological Big Foot has a better chance of getting assistance from Mr Harper's Conservatives.

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