Brown Protests Cuts to Autism Therapy, Sharing Oakville Family’s Story

QUEEN’S PARK – Continuing his fight against the Liberal government’s May 1st cuts to autism therapy, Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown used today’s Question Period to share the story of a family from Oakville.

“I want to tell you about five year old Joshua from Oakville. At age three he was diagnosed with autism.  As treatment, Joshua’s pediatrician recommends 20 hours per week of IBI therapy,” said Brown. “But for the past 27 months, Joshua has sat on a waitlist. As of May 1st, Josh was just months away from the top of the list but then this government kicked him off the list, along with over 2,000 other autistic children.”

The Liberal Government has terminated IBI treatment for those five and above. By the Ministry of Children and Youth Services’ own numbers, approximately 85 per cent of children who receive IBI therapy are over the age cut-off.

Joshua’s father described IBI therapy as “hope,” saying that the Liberal Government is “sentencing Joshua to a diminished life” and is “failing Joshua and [his] family.”

“Will the Premier reverse the changes to IBI before sentencing Josh to the diminished life that his father spoke of? I believe autistic children deserve better from this government,” concluded Brown.