Local families with children with autism are speaking out about how government cuts will leave their children without the resources to reach their full potential.
The Ontario government has removed funding for intensive behavioural intervention therapy for children with autism over the age of five. IBI is a type of therapy that teaches children with autism how to do every day activities like feeding themselves by breaking down the activity into very small steps.
"One of my biggest fears is that when my son goes from having full-time daily therapy every day into a regular school system where he doesn't get the kind of support that he's had that he's going to regress and he's not going to reach the potential that I know he has," says Jessica Szucki who has three sons, two on the autism spectrum.
The Ontario Autism Coalition is fighting to see the age restrictions removed, to get direct funding for families to receive autism therapy, and to give schools the proper support and resources to teach students with autism.
Mary Beth Rocheleau with the coalition says she has been fighting the age restriction for ten years because she knows first hand what it's like to have these services taken away.
"At 18 months I lost my son to autism. One day he just stopped talking, stopped eating, everything. ABA got me my son back and it's been horrible since he's been cut off and not getting the supports in the school system to see him regress," says Rocheleau.
MPP for Windsor-West Lisa Gretzky met with the local families and has committed to fighting the cuts.
