Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Political DEBATE-June 4th 2007

POLITICAL DEBATE

ON THE ISSUES
SURROUNDING

AUTISM
Policies and Programs

NDP, PC & LIBERAL MPP’s
(Elected Party Representatives)
Will Be Present!
Hosted By
The Alliance for Families with Autism
Monday June 4th, 2007 ~ 7:00 p.m.
SHERATON PARKWAY HOTEL
RICHMOND HILL, ONTARIO
(CORNER OF HWY# 7 & LESLIE)
DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 PM < START TIME IS 7:00 PM
SEATING IS LIMITED
DEBATE WILL RUN UNTIL 9:00 PM – EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
SPECIAL OVERNIGHT ROOM RATES HAVE BEEN ARRANGED UNDER “AFA”
PLEASE CONTACT RESERVATIONS @ (905) 881-2121
BEST WESTERN - $99.00 or SHERATON PARKWAY - $139.00
The Alliance for Families with Autism
Please contact us “AFA” at autism_yassine@rogers.com
As we approach the Provincial election in October this debate will provide our community with an excellent opportunity to hear from the parties about their respective policies regarding autism. Much has happened since the last election. Our community needs clear answers for the next four years. This is our chance to see how the parties differentiate themselves from each other regarding the appropriate treatment of our children.
The event will be recorded.
The Debate has Not been Planned as a child friendly event
*******************
The Alliance for Families with Autism (AFA) is very excited about the upcoming political debate to be held on Monday, June 04, 2007.
We want to make sure that we get a truly great turn out. It is an important evening so please come out and show all 3 political parties how important this issue is to the autism community, our friends, family and neighbours!
The flyer has all of the details for time and location. If you are interested in having one of your questions considered please forward it to autism_yassine@rogers.com.
The deadline for your questions will be
8:00 a.m. Monday, May 28, 2007
Our community needs clear answers
for the next four years!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

May 2nd Media Release

Press Release

May 2, 2007

Alliance for Families with Autism Calls on Federal Government to Reply to the Senate with Swift Action on a National Autism Strategy

Ottawa - May 2, 2007 - The Alliance for Families with Autism (AFA) is calling on the federal government to respond to the Senate recommendations regarding the autism crisis in Canada with swift action towards the implementation of a National Autism Strategy (NAS).

Yesterday a motion by Senator Art Eggleton, the Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, was introduced in the Senate requesting the federal government provide a “complete and detailed response” to the recommendations in its report titled “Pay Now or Pay Later: Autism Families in Crisis” which was tabled in the Senate on March 29, 2007. The Ministers of Health, Finance, National Revenue, and Intergovernmental Affairs are designated as responsible for providing the government response.

The Senate Committee’s report recognized an autism crisis in Canada and recommended that the government work with the provinces to develop a NAS and negotiate a funding formula whereby federal budget surplus dollars would be transferred to the provinces to fund autism treatment pursuant to national standards. AFA fully supports these recommendations and strongly urges the federal Cabinet to make the development and implementation a top priority.

“The facts speak for themselves. Recently the U.S. Centres for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the prevalence rate has reached 1 in every 150 children being diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To many people this is not just a crisis, but an epidemic. Yet, not one province offers autism treatment under Medicare. Similarly, many children with autism are not being properly taught in the public education system. The autism initiatives that Health Minister Clement announced on November 21, 2006, including the creation of a website and the holding of a future symposium, demonstrate a lack of willingness to take urgently-needed action. This is in sharp contrast to the U.S. where President Bush recently signed the ‘Combating Autism Act’. The situation requires the government to abandon its ostrich approach to crisis management and take swift action to address this national problem before it gets worse” said Sam Yassine, founding member of AFA.

“The Senate was absolutely correct when it reported that there was an autism crisis in Canada that necessitated urgent action and leadership on the part of the federal government. The federal Cabinet has had the Senate report for over a month and has not said a word about it. We urge the Prime Minister to recognize the need for action and to direct his Cabinet to stop ignoring the problem and take the necessary steps to develop and implement a meaningful National Autism Strategy” said Cindy DeCarlo, founding member of AFA.

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For more Information, contact

Cindy DeCarlo

(705) 737-0417 advocate.4kids@sympatico.ca

Sam Yassine

(613) 229-4444 autism_yassine@rogers.com

The Alliance for Families with Autism

Backgrounder

Our Mission

Improving the lives of children and youth affected by autism. To provide factual information in a non-partisan approach to all stakeholders.

Our Vision

Ensuring that Canadian children and youth with autism reach their full potential by advocating and lobbying for timely diagnosis, assessment, access to evidence based therapy and services.

Objectives

1) Implement the recommendations from the Autism Reference Group Report February 2007 “From Evidence to Action” to the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Children and Youth Services.


2) Direct Funding Option/Direct Service Option choice for Autism Intervention Program with no waiting lists and seamless transition to similar programming in school boards for children who require ongoing support.

3) Standard certification for service providers with a regulatory body for behaviour analysts and therapists. Increasing the number of child psychologists to work with children and youth with autism.

4) Continuum of Government funded services and programs. Specialized services such as speech and occupational therapy need to be delivered in a timely manner. Programs such as Special Services at Home and Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities need to support all families with autism and give clear guidelines for their key elements of administration.

5) Creation of National Autism Strategy that would include Federal-Provincial partnerships to ensure adequate resources and standards to provide Canadians with timely diagnosis, assessments, treatments, supports, and research.

We are presently developing our email list. If you wish to have more information about our group or would like to join our free email list, please contact us at autism_yassine@rogers.com

The autism community needs us all working together for their future!

Sincerely,

Cindy DeCarlo, Barrie Andrew Kavchak, Ottawa

Trish Kitching, Sudbury Pat La Londe, Kingston

John McVicar, Kitchener Lisa Prasuhn, Beeton

Sam Yassine, Ottawa

The Alliance for Families with Autism