Parents of children with autism held an awareness rally at the legislature Thursday to try to encourage government to put more supports in place for children with autism.
It was also an issue that dominated question period Thursday as Opposition Leader Olive Crane questioned government about whether an autism strategy is being developed and what it would look like.
But when Crane began asking questions, none of the ministers knew who should answer. The premier was out of the province Thursday, and as the first question was asked, all the ministers looked to each other, baffled at who should stand and answer.
That’s because autism falls under three different departments. Initial assessment of the disability is done by the Health Department. Once the child has been diagnosed, parents must go to the Department of Social Services to access funding for aid through the Disability Support Program (DSP). After that, jurisdiction travels to the Education and Early Childhood Development Department to access specialists who work with the children through pre-school and school.
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