Hamilton dad wins autism fight, Province reverses decision to cancel treatment

[meow_173]

April 03, 2009
Elisabeth Johns
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 3, 2009)
A Hamilton father of twin autistic girls has won his fight to keep his daughters in an intensive government-funded therapy after treatment for one was to be terminated.
Paul Ceretti spent Wednesday at Queen's Park lobbying for his six-year-old daughters, Delanie and Mackenzie.
In August, Ceretti said, he and his ex-wife Tina Howard received notice Delanie wouldn't be continuing with her one-on-one Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) therapy because she wasn't making enough progress.
But yesterday, on World Autism Awareness Day, he learned Delanie would continue to receive the treatment as a temporary solution.
She will be re-assessed in six months.
The therapy was to be cut off when Delanie reached her sixth birthday five days ago. However, Mackenzie is still receiving treatment.
Since starting the IBI therapy 16 months ago, Delanie has been able to communicate using pictures -- something she could never do before, Ceretti said.
"The biggest thing is the communication. It makes everything so much easier to manage. We have three other children and now we feel we are able to spend more time with our other children."
The 43-year-old dad has gone to extraordinary lengths to advocate for his children. He and Howard have a court date set for Thursday for a judicial review of this case.
They are also attempting to launch a human rights case to ensure their daughter continues to receive this treatment until she is ready for special education in a school.
IBI therapy, which costs up to $70,000 per child annually, is a treatment used to help autistic children learn skills so they can eventually function in a school.
Each child is assessed by an expert to determine when they should be moved from IBI.
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath spoke out against taking Delanie off IBI in the legislature yesterday.
She called it a "callous, heartless way to deal with the most vulnerable and needy families in our community."
It's a move she says is intended to reduce wait lists for IBI therapy.
While Deb Matthews, Minister of Children and Youth Services, would not talk specifically about the case, she said the decision to end IBI treatment is determined by experts.
However, she acknowledged the government "is not where we need to be in terms of wait lists."
ejohns@thespec.com
905-526-3214
What is IBI therapy?
Research has shown Intensive Behavioural Intervention therapy is the most effective treatment for autistic children when provided at a young age.
Through repetition and programs, autistic children learn cognitive, communication and motor skills.
Some autistic children are non-verbal and have shown progress through IBI treatment by learning to communicate in different ways, such as using sign language or pictures.
It is often done on a one-on-one basis, in which a therapist meets the child at his or her home or at a centre for up to 40 hours a week.

[16th ave.]

its great that at least some one has managed to get something done as far as autism goes even if its just one case among many.

[bssage]

Who exactly qualifies as a "Autism expert" ? A pool shooting expert wins pool games. A firearms expert you would assume could either fix or shoot guns at a expert level. I have talked to "Autism experts". "We dont know", "some people are trying this or that Blah Blah Blah". An Autism expert is simply someone who has some exposure to autism and a college degree. Heck as I rule I have been more well read than the "experts" we have talked to.

This guy shouldnt have to work so hard to get the help he needs. Noone is going to be placed in that kind of therapy if they didnt need it. Its not like she is getting spa therapy.

70 grand, who can afford that??? If you go into that line of work it should to be about helping people not getting rich draining the resources of the people who need help.

My new acronym PMO (p_ssess me off