Call for Improved Autism Services on Prince Edward Island

We, the undersigned,draw the attention of the Members of the Legislative Assembly of PEI to the following;

Whereas the most recent research by the U.S. government and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) indicates a prevalence rate of 1 in 100 children are now affected by autism;

And Whereas on Prince Edward Island, Government’s own data indicates that hundreds of Islanders are living with Autism;

And Whereas lengthy wait times persist for diagnosis and treatment and ongoing staffing shortages are having a negative impact on service delivery;

And Whereas the Miriam Foundation’s Canadian Best Practices Guidelines state the time between the referral from a primary practitioner and the beginning of the interdisciplinary assessment should be no longer than three months;

And Whereas the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island passed Motion No. 60 one year ago on November 20, 2008 which committed to address the challenges facing Islanders of all ages and the families/caregivers impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorders;

And Whereas numerous studies by government have identified the urgent need to upgrade autism services, including the Disability Services Review;

And Whereas a year later no substantial improvements to services have been made to these services;

Therefore your petitioners request the Members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island to immediately improve autism services for all individuals affected by autism by implementing a comprehensive Provincial Autism Strategy.

via facesofautism.wordpress.com

Leadership Initiative
Seeking Communities of Innovation
2010 Call for Proposals

ECEBC, with funding from Vancity Community Foundation, is seeking proposals from Early Childhood Educators across BC who are interested in playing a leading role in helping their communities become one of ECEBC’s 2010/11 ‘Communities of Leadership Innovation’.

If you and other ECEs in your community are emerging leaders and want to develop your capacity to:

• Raise the profile and understanding of the work you do in the broader community
• Build the leadership capacity of ECEs in your community
• Take ECE values and ways of knowing out the door to the larger community