The leader of the Progressive Conservatives says the Ontario Liberal government has misled parents of autistic children about treatment. In the spring, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that the Ontario provincial government would deal with a backlog of about 3,500 children with autism. The children were considered too old for effective intensive behavioural intervention (IBI) treatment. The government offered a one-time grant of $8,000 for those not on the treatment list.

The leader of the Progressive Conservative Opposition, has expressed his concern in the Ontario legislature over the new funding program for families of children with autism. PC leader Patrick Brown referred to an article released in The Toronto Star in which the Liberals’ own expert advisory panel cautioned them about putting an age gap on autism services. This would mean that children above the age of five on the waiting list might not receive the intensive behavioral intervention (IBI) that the government had promised.

The leader of the Progressive Conservatives says the new autism program announced by the Ontario Liberal government will hurt not help Ontario familIes. On Thursday during question period at Queen’s Park, the government and Opposition parties debated the issue following Monday’s throne speech, in which the government’s policies on children with autism were announced. PC leader Patrick Brown spoke against the government plan. “This government has put families with children with autism through unimaginable pain,” Brown said.