Children with autism in Ontario can wait four years for an intensive therapy which, when provided early enough, could change the course of their lives.
The Star surveyed the nine regional centres that manage autism services and found average wait times ranging from one year to four years for intensive behavioural intervention (IBI), the only sustained treatment paid for by the province.
How quickly a child gets it depends on where he or she lives.
In Toronto, children assessed and found eligible for the therapy, targeted at kids on the more severe end of the autism spectrum, wait an average of two years for a spot. That compares with 10 to 12 months in London and three years in Hamilton.
Wait times for services in Ontario
In Durham, York and Simcoe, the average wait is four years, according to Kinark Child and Family Services, Ontarios largest provider of autism services and the lead agency for the central east region, which spans a huge catchment area north and east of Toronto.
By the time children in that region begin receiving IBI, they are on average 7.6 years old past the critical window between the ages of 2 and 7, when scientists have shown this type of intervention has the best chance of success.
MORE FROM THESTAR.COM:The Autism Project
One Whitby mother was told last year that her 2-year-old, newly diagnosed with the neurodevelopmental disorder, could expect to wait six years for an opening.
The wait lists are unacceptable, says Marg Spoelstra, executive director of the research and advocacy group Autism Ontario. Families feel like their hearts are being ripped out.
More here:
Autism Project: Children face up to four-year wait for therapy