The number of children with autism receiving publicly funded, needs-based core therapy in Ontario appears to have only now returned to the level it was at five years ago, before changes by the Progressive Conservative government upended the system, new figures suggest.
Documents obtained through a freedom-of-information request show that as of mid-July there were 8,758 children whose families had a signed funding agreement for core therapy services. Enrolments were steadily rising, the documents show, and that likely continued after July, though the government refused to provide current numbers.
In early 2019, Lisa MacLeod, then-minister of children, community and social services, announced an overhaul of the former Liberal government's autism program. By the time new enrolments in core services began last summer, about 3,600 children were receiving publicly funded needs-based therapy, having been grandfathered in from the previous Liberal government program.
A transition binder containing information for Michael Parsa, who took over as minister in March, said that at the current $667 million budget about 20,000 children can be funded for core clinical therapies. One challenge is that a large number of families — about 5,000, the documents say — have not responded to an invitation to enrol in core clinical services, the spokesperson said.
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