Parents facing autism funding cuts appeal for government rethink

The provincial government's major overhaul of funding for children with special needs means some parents will see their funding drastically cut or eliminated.

Eleven-year-old Adam Williams learns a little differently.

Diagnosed with autism but considered high functioning, the Coquitlam boy’s family expects to see his individualized funding cut in half under coming NDP government changes. The same goes for his brother Ali, who also has autism.

Under the changes announced last week, the Williams family believes their individualized direct funding will drop from $6,000 a year per child to half that amount.

“Oh, my blood started boiling,” Khudeja Williams told CTV News from her family home in Coquitlam on Thursday, describing how she felt after realizing how the government changes would affect her family’s direct funding.

“It really did. I was in tears. Because I was like, ‘All this work I’m doing right now (is) for my children. I’m constantly advocating for them.’”

The Williams brothers are two of roughly 10,000 children in B.C. expected to have direct funding to their families reduced or eliminated under the new government plan.

“With that funding, we could get a certain amount of sessions (with specialists) a year,” said Williams. “That will become half the amount.”

Many other families are asking the NDP government to rethink its plan, which calls for increasing overall spending on autism supports while reducing or eliminating individualized funding for some children.

“All these families that are currently in the system have fought tooth and nail to get where they are,” said Tiffany Norbjerg, the parent of a child with autism set to completely lose funding.

“And it feels so disheartening, like you can’t support your child. That’s the worst feeling in the world.”

The issue has been taken up by the Official Opposition, who have been bringing up Premier David Eby’s previous promise not to alter individualized funding for children with autism.

“We fully support the expansion for children who have neurodiverse needs,” interim B.C. Conservative leader Trevor Halford told CTV News on Wednesday.

“I fully support that. I always have. But the fact of the matter is, that should not come at the expense of families of children with autism who need this.”

The province insists the new approach will give more money to those who need it most.

It notes the coming changes have only come after a lengthy and detailed consultation process with experts and the parents of children with special needs.

“There were overwhelming calls for us to design a system that increased direct funding to more children, that ensured that funding and supports were assigned based on need and not a singular diagnosis,” Minister of Children and Family Development Jodie Wickens told CTV News on Thursday from her office at the legislature.

The province will spend an additional $475 million over three years under its planned overhaul to how children with special needs are supported. With reduced funding for thousands of households like the Williams family, however, many feel as if their children are being left behind.