Sask. 'must do better immediately' for children with autism, Regina mother says

There's a window Brittany McDonald sees for her three-year-old daughter Ru to learn how to flourish, how to talk and function in society — and McDonald's worried it's closing.

McDonald's daughter is on the autism spectrum, and non-verbal. Last September, Ru was offered a spot in an integrated pre-Kindergarten program in the same school as her older sister, according to McDonald.

But following cuts in the last provincial budget, and the death of a boy with intensive needs in Saskatoon, she was told the school did not have the resources to assure her daughter's safety and the spot disappeared.

"It hurts to see and hear about what could be and instead see the pain and frustration and the lack of consistency we've been offered instead," McDonald told reporters at the legislature on Wednesday.

In the last four months, her daughter has seen four of her caretakers and educators come and go, she said.

McDonald and her husband are small business owners, running a restaurant, but she said they did not make enough money to pay the $2,000 a month that would pay to have the recommended level of intensive, private services that Ru needs.

On Wednesday, McDonald learned her daughter would potentially have a spot in a pre-Kindergarten program, but McDonald noted the family wanted to know what that might look like.

"As soon as we move into the school system, we lose the supports of the autism centre," she said, explaining that those supports include access to speech and occupational therapists, as well as a weekly interventionist, who can spend up to 10 hours in a week helping the family at home.

"So to accept the spot they offered us, would be a risk, unless they're willing to provide enough supports."

McDonald said she had a few recommendations for the province, including introducing standard infant screening for autism, providing the recommended number of educational assistant hours, reinstating preschools that offer support to children with intensive needs, and giving preschools and schools the support to accommodate high needs learners.

"This is an issue of accessibility. This is an issue of human rights," she said. "You must do better immediately."

Money promised is money needed

Carla Beck, NDP MLA and education critic, said that the province had cut $54 million in education funding in its last budget.

The last budget saw $22 million cut from all school divisions but because the province and the school system operate on different fiscal years (the province's fiscal year ends March 31), the impact to education funding amounted to a $54 million hit. 

While Premier Scott Moe had given a top-up of $7.5 million to education in February, hundreds of children are still not able to access needed services, she charged.

"It has had devastating impact to families like the McDonalds, but [also] families all over this province," Beck said.

Education Minister Gord Wyant pointed to the $7.5 million top up as a start, with an increase to $30 million over the course of a year to help hiring 400 educational assistants in the classroom.

"We think that's pretty hopeful," he said.

A $41 million announcement from the federal government, that will provide 220 pre-Kindergarten spaces for children with intensive needs in Saskatchewan, will help, he said.

Wyant said he had "great sympathy" for families that were struggling to get their children support, and acknowledged there's more work to be done.

The next budget is coming out April 10, at which time he said it would be seen what additional supports there were for families with children with intensive needs.

The government is also signalling it will start an individual family support program, the onset of which had been delayed by a year.

A family will receive $4,000 a year for each child with autism under the age of six, with Health Minister Jim Reiter saying that amount will later move to $8,000. The eventual target will be $15,000 to $18,000 per child, he said.

"That will be significant."