For the past 6 months or more there have been many rumours but often little detail about changes taking place in the Ministry’s Autism Support Services. I, like many, am upset with these changes as there is very little explanation. One thing I hear again and again is that children may no longer need a diagnosis to receive services. I find that shocking. Few jurisdictions in North America can’t provide these diagnostic services, but BC is one of them. Crossing the border into Washington State you will obtain an assessment within a few months, and an educational assessment within 50 working days of the request. Parents here in BC are still finding they have paid for a private assessment for Autism but the school district can’t provide an educational assessment so a student’s academic program can be designed to meet their needs. This often means after waiting 3-4 years for an Autism assessment, only to find another wait for the Psychoeducational Assessment.
My other concern is about providing services when we don’t really know what is going on with a child. The Autism assessment and diagnostic process involves not looking for signs and symptoms that prove a child has autism, but also a complex procedure called a differential diagnosis during which we systematically rule out other possible causes for the problematic behaviours and symptoms. Autistic like behaviours can really be any number of other issues, ranging from ADHD to specific language disorders, auditory processing issues, hearing problems, cognitive deficits…the list goes on. I not too sure providing services without an adequate clinical assessment is the right first step. The plain truth is we simply do not provide enough funding for families to obtain assessments, of any kind. Children don’t only wait months to years for an autism assessment, but the same is true for ADHD, learning disabilities, cognitive disorders…and the list goes on. Maybe it’s time for the province to pay for services by properly trained professionals, such as Registered Psychologists, to provide the services they are able to provide.
Most jurisdictions in North America provide services to children with Autism in schools. They are provided by specially certified teachers - special education teachers - in specialised settings. Here in BC you Weill. often see a child with ASD alone in a classroom, being cared for by a TA (teacher aide). Not by a teacher. ASD is a complicated disorder, however we have many, many examples in states like New York and California which provide comprehensive interventions that work. Regretfully, this is not the direction BC seems to be going.