The recent announcement by the government that they are going to have a needs-based therapy for those with autism is seen as a positive but it’s not all good news.
A rally was held outside Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith’s Rossmore office on Tuesday to let people know that more still needs to be done.
Organizer Sarah Daley says there were 39 other rallies province wide to address the time that parents, caregivers and children are expected to wait.
Autism rally organizer Sarah Daley outside MPP Todd Smith’s Rossmore office on August 6,2019. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)
She says the needs-based therapy needs to be accelerated because the kids can’t wait and they don’t get the time back.
The province has stated they will be releasing details of the needs-based therapy program later this fall with the program set to begin in April 2020.
Sherri Thompson has a grandson who needs therapy but has yet to receive any.
She says he was near the top of the wait list to begin therapy when the first program changes were announced. Now he is in limbo and starting school in less than a month.
Parents, caregivers and children gathered at MPP Todd Smith’s office in Rossmore on August 6, 2019 to voice their concerns with the program wait. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)
Smith was sworn in as the new Minister of Children, Community and Social Services in June.
