Autism and the NDP 2014 Election Platform: A Centre for Adult Autism Care

NDP Leader Dominic Cardy at the NDP 2014 Election Platform launch today at their campaign HQ's on Regent St.   As with each political party platform I immediately search out autism specific commitments or comments and the NDP have made a specific comment in a very neglected area in NB - adult autism care:

PREVENTATIVE CARE:

We will establish a provincial centre for the care of adults with autism.

A provincial centre for the care of adults with autism would fill a huge gap in our autism services in New Brunswick.  At present adults with autism at best can hope for care in a Level 4 group home where they may encounter difficulties with untrained staff who can not deal properly with the complex challenges of autism care.  The commitment to a centre while a huge step forward in the public discussion of autism care being the first serious mention of an adult centre for autistic adults does not indicate the quality of care to be provided eg. autism trained staff, autism appropriate professional oversight including medical attention for frequent comorbid conditions such as seizures, serious self aggression, wandering and security issues and adult education and recreation.  Nor does it address the always contentious issue ... the undeniable reality that some severely autistic adults will require permanent residential care and treatment.  The commitment however is a major step forward and it is difficult to expect more specifics in an election platform covering all aspects of life in the  province of New Brunswick. 

I enjoyed meeting and talking with Brian Duplessis, below, the NDP candidate in the riding of Fredericton North where I live.  The fact is most politicians or workers in political organizations have little real world experience with autism, fewer still with severe autism with intellectual disability a huge component of the autism spectrum.  Brian Duplessis however, has a family member with severe autism and he was already fully informed about the challenges facing persons with severe autism including adults and their families.  It was refreshing to discuss autism challenges with someone with close personal knowledge of those challenges.

Autism and the Green Party New Brunswick 2014 Election Platform

I was pleased to see some autism issues addressed in the Green Party 2014 election platform.  Much as I like the Green Party, particularly leader David Coon, in standing up for NB's environment, I didn't expect anything relevant to my central "issue" ... autism.  I was wrong. Although there is not a lot of details on how specific changes would be put in place the statements of principle are encouraging:

ACCESSING HEALTH CARE

Establish regional residential facilities for autistic adults who are unable to care for themselves.

Regional residential facilities for autistic adults would be a major step forward for many autistic adults.  The proposal still lacks a central facility in Fredericton near the autism expertise located there which could develop the expertise to accommodate the most severely autistic adults and share their expertise with the regional facilities but it is much better than we have now with generic group homes with untrained staff as one option and the Campbellton Regional Psychiatric Hospital as another and placement outside the province as yet another.  A good start but autism disorders are heterogeneous in  nature and can be very complex at the severe, lower functioning end of the spectrum including sensory challenges, self injurious behavior, severe intellectual disability, epilepsy, gastro intestinal issues in addition to the social communication and repetitive cognitive, focus and speech patterns. It is the kind of complexity that requires varying expertise in both autism behavior and common comorbid medical conditions  ...  and requires a facility that can provide both residential care and treatment as required in the most severe cases.

 A Green Government would:

Provide the resources required to fully implement the provincial inclusion policy and ensure all children can achieve their full potential. For those children who are unable to function successfully in the regular classroom even with increased resources, provide alternative education settings within the schools.

The full implementation of "the" provincial inclusion policy would be helpful for many with autism disorders.  The Green Party also accommodates those, like my son, who are severely autistic and require alternative education settings within the schools.  We fought successfully for such accommodations for my son and the Autism Society New Brunswick has long advocated, over much resistance, for the alternative education settings within schools for those who can not function in the regular classroom.  An excellent step forward for all autistic children in NB schools.

I went for a stroll on the North Riverfront Trail early this evening.  I have deviated from autism occasionally on this blog site to feature pictures I have taken on the NRF Trail that I love.  On my walk I noticed the Green Party candidate in my home riding of Fredericton North busy with her Green Party colleagues putting up the sign in the picture below.  Although she was kind enough to stop and pose for a picture she had been working hard herself at getting the sign in the picture set up.  One of her colleagues, an acquaintance from my Brunswickan days at UNB by the name of John Bosnitch, came across the access ramp and chatted.  It was interesting to learn that the pleasant lady in the picture is also a level 3 mechanic.   She was not native to this area and was stranded here a few years ago with a damaged vehicle.  She was told it would take a while to effect the repairs. She then asked if she could work at the shop because she could not afford to pay for the work otherwise.  Since then she has worked up to a level 3 mechanic; very impressive to this son of an excellent army mechanic who lacks my father's skills.