Quebec boy with autism refused service because he attends English school

Autistic English boy refused entrance to program A Laval woman says her son was refused entry into a hospital program because he attends English school.

The mother of an 11-year-old autistic boy is incensed after she says her son was denied entry into a specialized psychiatric program at a hospital because her son attends English school.

Elena Montecalvo said her son, Giancarlo Rodriguez Montecalvo, sometimes self-mutilates and even gets violent with her.

She said he isn't violent at school or in other contexts and that his psychiatrist recommended an in-patient program at the Rivieres-des-Prairies Hospital that analyzes how he reacts to different medicines.

"And then experiment with other molecules and doses to see if that can improve the aggression and anxiety," said Elena Montecalvo.

She was stunned to learn this week, however, that her son was refused entry into the program.

In an email, a hospital clinician wrote, "this patient goes to school in English; therefore, he should get services at the Children's [Hospital]."

The Children's, however, does not have the same type of program for autistic children.

Montecalvo is bilingual and said the family would be there to translate, but that didn't help.

"It was never stipulated that they would have difficulty communicating with my son," she said. "It was really a jurisdiction issue, the fact that he was enrolled in an English school."

The Health Services Act clearly states that English-speaking people are entitled to receive health and social services in the English language.

"Specific facilities and service corridors have been designated to adequately respond to the health and social services needs of English-speaking people," a hospital spokesperson said.

Liberal MNA Elisabeth Prass was not impressed.

"Well, I think it's really sad that there's not enough services in the first place for the autistic children who need them," she said.

Prass is the Liberal party critic for autism issues, as well as a parent of an autistic child.

"If it's policy, it certainly should not be because services are always the essential need, and if the parent or the family has the ability to communicate, language should not be a barrier to children with special needs getting the help they require," she said.

Prass said she'll be speaking with the minister responsible for social services in the hopes he'll change the rules.