Good morning and thank you for inviting us here today to provide you with more information on the autism spectrum.
Autism Society Canada, for almost 35 years, has been speaking as a collective voice for hundreds and thousands of families through our provincial societies, which are located in each province and territory, and we still feel we have a challenge. It is the same challenge. There is inconsistency and inequality across the country in terms of access to a health solution. Every Canadian does not yet have access to health solutions based on where they live and what happens.
The committee asked to meet with us on the subject of diagnosis. The first challenge we have is a waiting list. Everybody faces a number of time impediments and conditions that affect what happens when there is a diagnosis and then what comes after. Every province has a different solution.
Today in Canada we actually have a two-tiered health system for Canadians living with an ASD. There is a health system that is inconsistent because of where you are, what province you live in. There's also a health system that's not equally accessible. I have a bunch of quotes here, and I did a bit of research. In terms of private access, just to get a diagnosis in B.C., it could be up to $1,500. That is just to sit down and understand what's happening. We seem to have a public health system versus a private health system.
There are solutions, however, and we can establish national standards and try to establish best practices in the field of autism.
You wanted to know about treatment. There is some evidence that early intervention for children will have a positive effect in altering the impact of autism in the life of individuals. Autism treatment plans are unique for each individual. We have heard they require collaboration among many different health care professionals: medical doctors, occupational therapists, behavioural therapists, speech and language pathologists. Today in Canada, a multidisciplinary approach could cost up to $50,000 per year. This is not funded by medicare or other programs, so the accessibility might vary, depending on where you are, what you have access to, and what your needs are.
But we have solutions. A lot of resources are needed, and a lot of collaboration among government departments that can be dressed up, or designed, or invented. There exist some mechanisms for direct funding. We can do CRA adjustment regulations. There are a lot of formulas that can be found to make sure that in the end we have a zero sum for the families.
You also seek information regarding the health and economic burden associated with Canadians living with ASD as well as their caregivers. The children living with an ASD today will grow up and become adults living with an ASD. They are not a burden. They are Canadians living with a lifelong need for a continuum of support that will evolve. It will continue to evolve, just as it will for you and me; as we age, our needs will evolve.
So now what? What do we do? These individuals need access to tailored services, resources and adult treatments to enable them to become contributing members of Canadian society, just like you and me. Today in Canada, owing to a lack of appropriate supports, we continue to marginalize this group of individuals and their families. However, we are experiencing a new wave of families, those transitioning into the next phase. Parents of school-age children who are now transitioning into adulthood will still be challenged with enormous impacts if we have no implementation of changes.
You asked what the impacts on caregivers are. A family will have to use all available resources to provide treatment, even if it exceeds their ability to pay. Wouldn't you do that if it was your child? Families lose their homes, parents divorce. There is a lot of stress. Families sometimes run out of options.
The impact on siblings is enormous—emotionally, socially, and economically. They must anticipate being the support of last resort when those parents age and go away. This is our legacy for the future. The next generation will bear the impact of non-implementation.
There are solutions. The federal government has many employment programs, with support and training. We can offer tax incentives to employment, employers, and different formulas. We can extend some of our training programs that exist already.
Then there's housing. I know of adults living in a halfway house. That's not where they should be. We have federal low-income housing. Those can be extended. We can find formulas to find solutions.
Education grants can be given to support secondary education.
In conclusion, we need to address the oversight. We cannot have non-implementation. We have formulas. We have things active in our system that we just need to review, maybe be creative about.
Across the country our member societies are actively working with the provincial governments and territorial representatives for services and support. But this is not a provincial issue. There are examples of national health strategies by the federal government, so we do need to reinvent.
We turn to the federal government to provide a creative solution. Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States are doing it. They have strategies. Autism Society Canada would like to think it's time we have one in Canada.
Thank you very much.