Investigating IBI Discharge Criteria in Ontario

Throughout 2009 Autism Canada has been advocating for answers as to why children are being discharged from their provincially funded IBI programs in Ontario.

Please take a minute and read through the letters we have sent particularly the one sent to Dr. Nancy Freeman on July 21, 2009 and the one response we have received from Dr. Bisnaire and Mr. Moore dated September 24, 2009, which does not address any of our questions.

Although Autism Canada has been forthright from the beginning that we would share this correspondence with the public, it was our hope that we wouldn’t have to. After you read through the correspondence below please send your comments to us. Either email us at info@autismcanada.org or post your comments on our facebook page. We would be most happy to forward your comments on to provincial authorities.

Please also know that we will continue advocating for services for all Canadians with an ASD with your support.

Click here to read the original article posted by Autism Canada written by Taline Sagharian dated April 2009 titled “Ontario’s Autism Cut-off Dilemma”.

Click here to read the letter received by Autism Canada from Dr. Nancy Freeman, Chair of the Benchmark Panel dated May 15, 2009 asking us to make a clarification that children are not being discharged from their programs as a result of the new benchmark criteria.

Click here to read the letter sent to Dr. Nancy Freeman, Chair of the Benchmark Panel on July 21, 2007 asking, “… if the government of Ontario is not discharging children from the government funded IBI programs based on benchmarks then what clinical criteria are they basing their clinical decision on?”

Click here to read the letter sent to the Minister of Children and Youth Services Deborah Matthews on August 14, 2009.

Click here to read the follow up letter sent to the Minister of Children and Youth Services Deborah Matthews on September 26, 2009.

Click here to read the response from Dr. Lise Bisnaire and Peter Moore Co-Chairs of the Regional Autism Programs of Ontario Newwork (RAPON) dated September 24, 2009, which addresses none of our posed questions.

Click here to read the letter sent to Dr. Lise Bisnaire and Peter Moore Co-Chairs of the Regional Autism Programs of Ontario Network (RAPON), which is carbon copied to the Dr. Nancy Freeman, Minister Laurel Broten and Minister Kathleen Wynne.