I Am Hoping for NDP Voices in the NB Legislature to Help Families Advocate for An Adult Autism Care Facility

The picture above is from Conor's 2nd Birthday on February 2,  1998.  The next day we received his autism disorder diagnosis, described initially as Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified,  six months after various tests and six months after requesting medical attention because we did not understand his lack of development and we were concerned.  Shortly thereafter as his deficits became more obvious and pronounced the diagnois was changed to Autistic Disorder now part of the DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder. An age 2 diagnosis was rare in those days.

Conor at 3.  Over the first year, post autism diagnosis, we had attended at the  very limited information sessions provided to families with autistic children by the Province of New Brunswick. We had also heard much rhetoric about just accepting your child as he is, accepting his autism, be happy.  Then I attended a parents group meeting (in the pre government funded Autism Community centre days)  At the meeting I found myself surprised to be lectured directly and sternly, by Dawn Bowie,  the mother of an autistic child who also happened to be a registered nurse). From those meetings and connections with other concerned parents in Moncton, Miramichi, Oromocto, Fredericton, and a Saint John family (Heather and Don Chamberlain) began a parent advocacy movement that resulted in an April 1, 2003 announcement of funding for unspecified autism services by then Health Minister Elvy Robichaud. By the end of the Lord government's term the UNB-CEL autism program had been established with early intervention centres. Autism training began for teacher aides and resource teachers and under the Graham government more were trained.  An ill considered decision to close the Stan Cassidy tertiary care team who worked with autistic children under the age of 16 was reversed ... again as a result of advocacy led by parents. 

Conor, still our happy boy, is now 18 and will require decent adult autism care 

 for the rest of his life once his parents grow old and pass  on. 

I am asking in this post for all families with autistic children and adults to consider voting tomorrow for the NDP.  I make this request in order to encourage you to vote for MLA's in the legislature who are committed to advocating for a badly needed adult autism care facility.  Beginning in 1999 parents advocated with some success for early autism intervention and autism trained teacher aides and resource teachers.  Progress in adult autism care has been virtually non existent with autistic adults shipped out of province in some cases, to the Regional Psychiatric Hospital in Campbellton and some have resided for periods of time at least on general hospital wards.  

The fight for adult autism care in NB will not become any easier with the election of one of the 2 parties, Red or Blue, that have governed NB during my entire life and during the last 15 years of autism advocacy.  But at least if some NDP voices are elected, unlike the Blues and Reds,  we will have voices from a party that has publicly committed in its election platform to an adult autism facility.   

If you are voting tomorrow, I respectfully ask you to  please consider voting NDP. 

Will Adult Autism Care Issues Be Considered During #nbvotes 2014?

New Brunswick election 2014 is underway with the NDP, Liberal, Green and PANB parties going all out to replace the PC party.  Party signs are proliferating around the city of Fredericton. The Liberal Party kicked off big time in Fredericton with special guest federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and provincial leader Brian Gallant. It was a lively, well organized event and the optimism was clear. I enjoyed my brief chat with the charming greeting ladies pictured outside the Fredericton Ex building. In a general sense I enjoy elections, I firmly believe, despite the many legitimate bases for criticism that they are the foundation of our amazing freedoms that our soldiers have fought for and died to preserve.

There are many important issues in this election as in many others.  It will be easy for our political party leaders to overlook the needs of adults with complex severe autism disorders for whom group homes are not always an option.  In the past our "inclusive", "community" oriented province has sent severely autistic adults out of the province or to the psychiatric hospital on our northern border with Quebec far from most families in the much more heavily populated south of New Brunswick.  Maybe, just maybe, beginning with this election, our leaders will accept the reality that NB includes severely autistic adults in need of permanent residential care in a facility with professionally trained staff and oversight, a facility located in Fredericton close to the autism expertise  developed at the Stan Cassidy Centre and the UNB-CEL Autism Intervention program.

A Fredericton Autism Follow Up To Alberta MP Brian Storseth

Brian Storseth MP
Westlock-St. Paul

4401 50th Street

St. Paul, Alberta

Telephone: (780) 614-6440

Fax: (780) 645-6817

Storseth.B@parl.gc.ca

Dear Mr. Storseth

On August 27, 2008 I emailed you in response to a Member of Parliament mail out I received from you concerning the Conservative Party. That mail out was an obvious attempt to exploit fear of crime for political purposes. Since you had taken the trouble to use your parliamentary mail privileges to contact me I replied by email. Since you had adopted me as a constituent I expressed my concerns about your government's failure to address the autism crisis in Canada and asked that:

" you encourage your party leader Stephen Harper to adopt a real National Autism Strategy. Send federal dollars to the provinces to ensure that every autistic child receives evidence based treatment regardless of their parents' postal address. You have reached across the country once; you can do it again - for autistic children."

Now that the federal election campaign is in full swing I ask, as one of your adopted constituents, whether you have acted on my request. Have you encouraged Mr. Harper to provide federal funding for autism treatment across Canada and what is the current position of the Conservative Party?

Your response, prior to election day, would be appreciated.

Respectfully,


Harold L Doherty
Fredericton NB

cc. Facing Autism in New Brunswick


autism

Medicare for Autism NOW! Featured on TheTyee

"As a veteran American senator once observed, politicians see the light when they feel the heat. We launched the Two Percent Solution in five ridings in the last elections, and I believe we had some impact on the outcome in two of them. We punched above our weight the first time, and I think this time out the campaign has real potential for democratic renewal. This isn't a partisan effort. It's an attempt to reverse a stupid policy."


David Marley, The Tyee, September 1, 2008

Photo by Harold L Doherty

As the country awaits Stephen Harper's election call, The Tyee has featured the Medicare for Autism NOW! campaign led by Jean Lewis, business woman, parent of an autistic child and prominent autism advocate, and David Marley, lawyer and veteran political organizer. In the picture above Jean and David are shown in Oakville Ontario on April 19, 2008 where they appeared as part of a line up of speakers detailing the Medicare for Autism NOW! strategy for the next federal election, now expected to be held in mid-October.

The Tyee article is a well written, detailed report on the Medicare for Autism NOW! non-partisan strategy of targeting ridings across Canada with narrow margins of victory in the last election and supporting candidates in those ridings who openly support inclusion of ABA treatment for autism under Medicare. The article also comments on the effectiveness of ABA as an autism treatment and the hodge podge of ABA coverage offered across Canada.

autism

Autism Supporter & Election Candidate - Stewart C. Paul (L) Tobique-Mactaquac

The current Conservative government of Stephen Harper, backed by the separatist Bloc Quebecois, voted down the Shawn Murphy motion to amend the Canada Health Act to ensure that autistic children, regardless of where they happened to live in Canada would receive government funded proven effective ABA treatment for their autism. The budget brought down by the Harper government gave $0 ZERO dollars for autism. Conservative MP's across Canada have marched in lockstep uniformity to deny federal government assistance for autism even elminating funds for a well respected autism summer camp in Ontario. The next election will be critical for the success of efforts to put in place a serious national autism strategy in Canada and it is important to identify and support candidates who are prepared to support a national autism strategy. One such candidate is Stewart C. Paul the Liberal candidate for Tobique-Mactaquac here in New Brunswick.

Stewart is a long time friend, and professional associate, who has been very supportive of my efforts on behalf of my son Conor and of the cause of autism generally. He has pledged to support a national autism strategy if elected and he has the background to know how to offer effective support on the national scene. Stewart Paul is the Liberal candidate for Tobique-Mactaquac and a supporter of the cause of autistic persons on the national scene in Ottawa. If you live in the Tobique-Mactaquac area and have an autistic child or know someone who is autistic or if you are yourself autistic remember Stewart Paul when you cast your ballot in the next federal election.

http://www.nblib.nb.ca/stewart_paul.html

Born and raised in the riding of Tobique – Mactaquac, in Tobique First Nation, Stewart Paul graduated from Perth High School, where he was active in student life and served as President of the Student Council.

As a young person, he was moved by the difficult social conditions and economic disparities evident in his home community, and developed an early interest in issues related to social justice, economic development, and education.

He attended the University of New Brunswick, where he took an undergraduate degree in arts (majoring in history and sociology), then a law degree. In addition to his BA and LLB degrees, he earned a Diploma in Social Leadership from the Coady Institute at St. Francis Xavier University. He is a 25-year member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Law Society of New Brunswick.

His first jobs were as an education consultant with the NB Department of Education in Fredericton, and as a Policy Analyst with the Assembly of First Nations in Ottawa. In the early 1980's, he co-founded the Mi’kmaq-Maliseet Institute in the Faculty of Education at the University of New Brunswick, a respected organization dedicated to the training and professional development of Native educators. He practiced law for several years in Fredericton before returning home in the late 1980's to enter political life. He served several terms as Chief of the Tobique First Nation during which time much about the community was transformed. He maintained a private law practice in Perth-Andover throughout this time and to the present day.He also presently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Peace Hills Trust, a national financial institution. He has been married for 40 years. He and his wife, Sandra, have four children and nine grandchildren.

He brings experience to the table that spans job creation, education, health, natural resources, business development, and community infrastructure. He has strong skills related to leadership, management, and government administration. He has worked in regional and national policy development, and has experience with complex legal and financial negotiations. He is also familiar with Ottawa and the provincial government.

As a lifelong resident of Tobique-Mactaquac, he is committed to the entire region. He has been an active member of the Liberal party in this region for nearly 20 years, and he understands the challenges facing the region, and the aspirations of its people. He has much to offer, and would be a strong representative of the people in Ottawa. He is a seasoned political leader, a strong campaigner, and a hard worker.

He was nominated as the Liberal candidate for the Electoral District of Tobique – Mactaquac on April 28, 2007.

Autism Advocacy - Tony Clement Loses Composure, Lashes Out

The Honorable Tony Clement Canadian Health Minister has lost his composure and lashed out at FEAT-BC because of its plans to hold him accountable for his inaction in addressing Canada's autism crisis. Mr. Clement expressed his outrage that the FEAT organization would actually organize to bring about his electoral defeat. Mr. Clement accused the FEAT group of being extremists for wanting to amend the Canada Health Act to ensure funding for autism treatment across Canada. Apparently the Liberal and NDP MP's who voted for that precise measure are also extremists in Mr. Clement's narrow view. In expressing his outrage Mr. Clement also declared that he is "the hardest-working minister autism advocates have ever had". How Tony Clement has the audacity to make such a clearly nonsense claims is beyond me. After defeating the motion which would have provided universal coverage for autism treatment in Canada Mr. Clement's government provided ZERO dollars, $0, for autism in its recent budget. Mr. Clement works very hard at doing what he is told by Stephen Harper but there is no evidence that he has so much as lifted a finger to help the cause of autistic children and adults.

The hardest-working minister autism advocates have ever had? That claim is a stinker if ever there was one Mr. Clement.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=c1cddc05-246f-4e9c-9455-be53df75eeb3