Most school staff aren’t trained to “treat, teach or manage” children with autism — and boards aren’t ready for an influx of students in a few weeks’ time when changes to the autism program come into effect, warn Ontario principals. Stephanie Ridley is among parents of children with autism at Queen’s Park on Feb. 20 to voice their opposition to the Ford government’s overhaul of the province’s autism program. Changes announced last month by the Ford government are intended to clear a 23,000-child wait list for autism services, spreading funding to more families for therapies and services of their choosing. Children older than that can access up to $5,000 a year up to age 18, to a lifetime maximum of $55,000. New Democrat MPP Monique Taylor, her party’s children’s services critic, said autism therapy providers too “are considering layoffs and wondering how they can ethically provide services within the new budgets.

Source: thestar March 04, 2019 22:18 UTC