B.C. is committed to an integrated, co-ordinated range of services and supports for children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families.

* B.C. is a national leader in autism services and supports for children and youth. It's the only Canadian province that has a no waitlist policy for families to access autism funding once their child or youth has received a diagnosis of ASD. With autism funding, families are able to choose the type of intervention, based on best practice, that best meets the needs of their children.

* B.C. now serves close to 7,000 children and youth diagnosed with ASD and their families, compared to only a few hundred before the year 2000.

* The 2011/12 ministry budget for ASD is $42 million, more than 10 times the 2001 budget of $4.1 million.

* Families with children under age six receive $22,000 per year to help with the cost of autism intervention services. Families with children age six to 18 receive up to $6,000/per year to help with the cost of out-of-school intervention services.

* The Ministry of Health funds diagnostic and assessment services, delivered through the BC Autism Assessment Network and regional health authorities.

* As of September 2010, the provincial median wait time for diagnostic assessments for children under the age of six was 26.0 weeks. The provincial median wait time for children six to 19 was 28.9 weeks. Once the child has a diagnosis, access to autism intervention funding is made available immediately.

* In addition to the basic per-pupil funding, school districts receive $18,300 in supplemental funding for every student with ASD to provide in-school interventions and services.

* Families of children with ASD are also eligible for a variety of other services and supports through MCFD, such as early intervention therapies, school-aged therapies, infant development, supported child development and family support services, including respite.

* The Province has invested $1 million to support intervention research and capacity building, and $1.275 million in a long-term study into effective interventions for children in B.C.

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* MCFD has also committed $1 million annually for the development of a new provincial outreach program for young children with autism - a program which will help improve access to services in rural and remote communities.

Contact:

Christine Ash

Media Relations Manager

Ministry of Children and Family Development

250 356-1639

250 812-3616 (cell)

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect