Parents of children with autism are fighting to save a service they say is critical to their children.
After three years on a waiting list, Claudia Rowe-Cronkhite finally found out her six-year-old son Cayden would receive intensive autism therapy, also known as IBI treatment.
Two weeks ago she found out he's no longer eligible because the government is changing the age limits.
"To be told one thing and to be automatically discarded that's just ridiculous and it's unfair," says Rowe-Cronkhite.
That's the message parents brought on Friday to the offices of Liberal MPPs across the province, including Aurora and Barrie.
Along with pictures of their children on placards, they want the government to reverse the decision.
“There can`t be an age restriction, this is a human rights violation,” says Robin Konstantopoulos of the Ontario Autism Coalition. “Where are we going to be in 20 years’ time if we don’t teach them to talk now?”
Some parents who've waited years for the therapy are considering drastic measures to keep paying for the expensive treatment themselves.
“Our option will be to eliminate savings, liquidate equity in our home,” says parent Nadine Calamusa.
The government says limiting the therapy to kids aged two to four will reduce wait times for that age group and allow for earlier assessments.
The government is providing some money to help the transition and promising a new program to assess kids quickly.
“There will be a new program that will assess them and give them the intensity of service that they need,” says Premier Kathleen Wynne.
That's not enough for those who fear children will fall through the cracks.
“All the issues they`ve identified him with through IBI could easily be resolved. If they’re not, I’m on my own. He might stay the same or get worse,” says Rowe-Cronkhite.
