Have Your Say: To Toby Barrett, Re: New Ontario Autism Program

Note: This letter was originally submitted directly to MPP Toby Barrett.

Guy Legault

This is Guy (Guillermo A Legault); he is 7 and lives in Fisherville. Guy was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. He wasn’t talking, eye contact was limited, and he was very sensitive to loud sounds. He could have been diagnosed younger, but his family doctor kept telling me that Einstein didn’t start talking until he was 5. I had to get a diagnosis in a different country and come back with it so he could be properly diagnosed in Canada. But that was just the beginning.

REACH was our service provider; he was assessed and eligible for IBI (intensive behavioural intervention therapy). He was placed on a waiting list. In the meantime, a therapist would come once a week and to address different issues. His therapist missed half of his appointments; Guy never got those hours back.

My son has become my full-time job. Sadly, I learned that in Ontario it’s like a curse: the more you do to help your child, the less help you get from the government. I will always be a proactive parent, so unfortunately we will always have to live with the crumbs we are left.