December 7, 2004
Kamloops Daily News



It's a familiar story when it originates in the U.S. --
parents who go broke trying to pay for expensive medical
treatment.

Canadians are not used to hearing that story from this side
of the boarder.  But parents of autistic children are going
broke in Canada while trying to pay for expensive treatment. 
Justin Himmelright of Maple Ridge is one of those parents. 
The therapy that works for his autistic son Griffin costs up
to $60,000 a year.  The behaviour therapy, called Lovaas, 
requires four therapists working with Griffin six days a week.

Autism therapy is covered by the province of B.C. but it
only pays for a third of what that therapy requires. 
Himmelright didn't think it was fair, so he and other
parents of autistic children took their case to the Supreme
Court of Canada.  They argued that their children were being
discriminated against, and that their rights of equality
under the Canada Health Act were being infringed on by a
lack of funding.

It seemed like a safe bet.  After all, courts have ruled in
favour of the human rights of homosexuals to marry and the
rights of women to control their own bodies.

Parents of autistic children were understandably angry and
frustrated when Supreme court ruled against them. 
Himmelright put it this way, "Today, my son became a
second-class citizen."

The Supreme court didn't see the issue as one of rights, or
even what health care should cover. Chief Justice Beverly
McLachin said "the issue before us is not what the public
health care system should provide."

The court ruled that Canada's health care was not intended
to cover every possible treatment, only those defined as
core services.

The Romanow Report on health care says there is a financial
gap between what should be covered in a comprehensive plan
and the actual core-coverage.  "This gap exists in the first
place because of the impossibility of the public purse
covering all health services immediately."

McLachin concurs, "The Canada Health Act and the relevant
British Columbia legislation do no promise the any Canadians
will receive funding for all medically required treatments. 
The scheme, by its very terms, a partial health plan and its
purpose is not to meet all medical needs."

So, what to do?  Canadians believe that a safety net, funded
by tax dollars, should be there to catch us when we fall. 
It's the Canadian way of helping each other when
catastrophes strike.

It's a principle supported by Canada's Health Minister Ujjal
Dosanjh.  He says that said his government is committed to
catastrophic drug coverage, one that would save Canadians
financial ruin when drug costs skyrocket.

The solution can be found south of the boarder, in the U.S. 
They may not have universal public health care but they know
how to treat autistic children through their education
system.

In the U.S., children aged three and older are entitled, by
law, to a free and appropriate public education.  It's
something Canadian governments should consider.  When
Canadian court cases involving rights fail, and when autism
is not considered as part of core coverage under medicare,
options are running out.

And we need look no further than Kamloops for a school
similar the U.S. model.  It's called the Chris Rose Therapy
Centre for Autism for children, from ages of 5 to 12.  It
depends on contracts from the school district and on
charity.

Wanda Carisse, executive director of the centre, told me
"this is a unique program in the province."  What makes it
unique is that it's supported by the Kamloops/Thompson
School District, although it is not part of the school
system.  The proven therapy provides one-one-one training
for 21 children with the goal of moving them into school
programs.

Although the Lovaas method is not used at the center, that
method is not for everyone.   The centre's techniques have
been helping children integrate into the school system for
16 years.

Unreasonably, the centre gets no money from the province's
fund for autism therapy - - amounting to $6,000 a year for
kids from age 6 to 18. These funds would be a great
assistance to the center, which now depends on the kindness
of Kamloopsians and the support of the school district.

 "It takes a whole village to raise a child," says the
proverb.  It will take targeted provincial funding for
public schools to raise autistic children.

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