April 2, 2014
Province Invests in New Autism Services as Manitoba Marks World Autism Awareness Day
– – –Improved Access to Programming, Education, Support Services: Minister Irvin-Ross
The Manitoba government is investing in two more early intervention specialists and new parent support services at St. Amant to better meet the needs of families and children affected by autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross announced today.
“Timely, early intervention services for children with ASD are very important and we remain committed to building a range of services to meet families’ needs,” Minister Irvin-Ross said. “These increased investments will help families of children with autism spectrum disorders by improving access to programming, education and support provided by experts in the field.”
The two additional autism early intervention specialists, to be hired with an investment of $123,000, will serve an estimated 30 additional families of preschool children with ASD and assist in co-ordinating delivery of child development services, the minister said.
The new specialists will work in the Eastman and Parkland regions and extend their services to the northern region as well. This brings the total to fivenew autism specialists hired in rural Manitoba since late 2012. Two new specialists were hired last year, one in Westman and the other in the Interlake.
An additional $622,000 will be invested in St. Amant, which offers a range of services to people with developmental disabilities and autism, to implement a new parent support service that will serve up to 100 families in Winnipeg and rural Manitoba, the minister said. This service will support parents in using strategies to teach their children new skills and address challenging behaviour. It will be based on the principles of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) and will provide families with assessment-based programming, consultation and learning opportunities.
“St. Amant is very excited about the funding for the parent support model,” said Angela Cornick, director of St. Amant’s autism and outreach programs. “This model will help parents take the first steps in preparing for the more intensive behavioural intervention program. The parent support model involves a St. Amant autism consultant assessing children and preparing learning plans for parents to carry out at home. Families will also be invited to workshops on understanding autism and teaching strategies, building their capacity to teach new skills to their children.”
Manitoba invests almost $37 million annually in services and supports for children with ASD and their families. The funding increase announced today brings the total commitment by Manitoba Family Services to nearly $15 million and includes support for ABA programming, autism outreach services, inclusion-support programming for children attending licensed child care and family support services such as respite, supplies and after-school programming.
In addition, Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning provides over $22 million annually to support children with autism spectrum disorders in schools including supporting the delivery of ABA for school-age children, providing clinical support and delivering workshops to school staff.
Thrive!, a five-year strategy for the development of services and supports for Manitobans affected by ASD, was launched in 2011 and builds on consultations between the province and community to provide a framework for moving forward to meet the needs of people with autism. The strategy encompasses a range of programs and services for children, youth and adults.
“As we mark April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day in Manitoba, it is important to highlight the need to help improve the lives of those affected by autism spectrum disorders, so they can lead full and meaningful lives,” said Minister Irvin-Ross.
More information on the Thrive! strategy is available at www.gov.mb.ca/fs/thrive.
- 30 -