Richmond autism centre offers 'lifespan' services; more facilities on the way

A new autism centre of excellence that will offer 'lifespan services' to people living with autism is months away from opening in Richmond — and now plans are on the way for more spaces to open across the province.

The Pacific Autism Family Centre  is a new autism service facility that will provide resources for families affected by autism, including an information center, several treatments and therapies, employment training, and even dental services. The $33 million facility is being funded by the provincial government and private donors.

According to the centre's president Sergio Cocchia, the plan is for affiliated facilities to open across the province to help fill gaps in public health services — including aging out of care.

"It's intended to be a life-span facility, and it's really important to understand the need for that in our society," he said, adding that over 50,000 adults have autism in B.C. have aged out of provincial supports.

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 According to the Ministry of Child and Family Development, families in B.C. receive $22,000 in funding for intervention services annually for each child up to the age of six and $6,000 after that until the age of 18. 

Afterwards, they need to apply for additional support.

He says having lifelong access to the facilities services will help to reduce strain on current government health programs.

Additional spokes

While the hub will operate from Richmond, Cocchia says additional 'spokes' will open across the province as well.

"We're still very much challenged, especially in areas outside the lower mainland," said Cocchia. "In B.C., we've got a large geographic area that we're trying to help."

The organization is currently fundraising to open branches throughout rural B.C., with facilities in Kelowna and Williams Lake close to meeting their financial goals.

"There are wonderful corporate citizens in those communities that are helping us out," said Cocchia.

Long waiting lists

According to Autism Canada, one in 68 Canadian children fall somewhere on the autism spectrum. That means there's as many as 60,000 people affected by ASD in the province — 10,000 of which are under 19.

Cocchia says a major barrier to autism treatment is actually the length of time it takes to get diagnosed, a process which takes an average of 29 weeks in B.C., according to the provincial health authority.

"It can be quite a process trying to get that assessment," said Cocchia. "It can be very difficult for families to know where to turn... We have to find a way to to make that assessment process faster." 

"The majority of our families are probably still seeking private assessments, and that's really unfortunate," he said.

With files from CBC Radio One's BC Almanac

To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled: Parent-lead autism centre months away from grand opening; more facilities in B.C. to follow