19 Year Old Non Verbal Autistic Man Evicted From Miramichi Special Care Home Because He Is An Adult

Huge gaps remain n New Brunswick's adult autism residential care and treatment system. An autism specific residential care and treatment centre and autism specific group home system is needed to bridge those gaps. 

HON. CATHY ROGERS

Minister of Social Development

HON. VICTOR BOUDREAU

Minister of Health

HON. BILL FRASER 

MLA Miramichi 

HON. STEPHEN HORSMAN

MLA Fredericton North

As an autism advocate for over 15 years in New Brunswick (and father of a 19 year old severely autistic son) I was saddened, though not at all surprised, to read the report by Samantha Magee of the  Miramichi Leader of a 19-year-old, non verbal autistic man whose family was informed by Social Development on Feb 9 that he would not be able to remain in his special care accommodations in Miramichi: after February although he has been given a reprieve until March 31. The Leader reported that his transition to adulthood was the reason for the forced departure:

"Bob Daley, residential services manager for M.O.R.E. Services Inc., said in an emailed statement to the Miramichi Leader that the issue is related to Brandon’s age and funding.

“For a number of years, M.O.R.E. Services has been providing a children’s service in the upstairs apartment of the home in question. When a resident reaches the age of 19, they are no longer considered a child and therefore receive services through adult programs,” he said."

I have been involved with public autism advocacy in New Brunswick and Canada  for over 15 years.   I know that there have been several high profile incidents of youths and young men being sent to the Spurwink facility in Maine at considerable public expense because autism specific treatment and residential accommodation including drops off between the ages of 15 (Stan Cassidy Autism Centre) and 19. 

Concerns over the lack of adult autism treatment and care facilities have been presented to successive governments for over a decade.  A proposal by distinguished autism expert, clinical psychologist and UNB professor emeritus (psychology) Paul MdConnell Ph.D. was made public in 2010 on the CBC web site.  The proposal for a Fredericton based autism residential treatment and care facility (near the UNB-CEL Autism staff and the Stan Cassidy Autism Centre also included autism specific group homes with autism trained staff and oversight from the Fredericton centre.

New Brunswick has been a Canadian and North American leader ( as recognized by the Association for Science in Autism Treatment) in establishing early intervention services. We have also made advances in autism trained education aides and resource teachers.  There is no reason in principle that we could not have extended the expertise we have developed to the adult care and treatment level as described by Professor McDonnell (CBC, 2010) and provided both a centre for those with severe autism needing permanent care, treatment and oversight and autism specific group homes in Miramichi and around the province to keep as many autistic people as possible close to home, family and community.

Cost has not been the primary obstacle in the refusal to develop an autism centre and network of autism specific group homes.  Costs of sending each person to Spurwink have been estimated at approximately $300,000 per year and would be saved with the development of the NB based adult care network.  Jobs would also be created in the center and group homes for the trained staff.

As a father of a now 19 year old severely autistic adult son I genuinely empathize with the Miramichi adult and his family and I can provide no reasonable explanation as a long time public autism advocate as  to why NB with its proven ability to develop a well recognized early autism intervention program, and its extension of that program to train our school teachers and aides can not organize a centre based network with autism specific group homes around the province.  Had that been done years ago the current situation in Miramichi would probably not have arisen.

Please take this letter seriously, as a call to action to develop the autism centre and group home network proposed by Professor Emeritus Paul McDonnell in 2010.

Please act to provide residential care and treatment for NB's severely challenged autistic adults before more time is needlessly wasted.

Respectfully,

Harold L Doherty

Fredericton North

New Brunswick

Autism Resources Miramichi Gets A Boost

Lila Barry accepts a cheque for $30,000 from MLA Bill Fraser. They
are joined by ARM board members Dianne Pineau and Linda Robichaud.
Photo and caption from Miramichi Leader Online Edition
© 2007 CanadaEast Interactive, Brunswick News Inc.

In Autism centre receives government funding the Miramichi Leader reports on a positive autism development in Miramichi, New Brunswick as Autism Resources Miramichi receives funding to get started. New Brunswick has seen its share of advocates of alternative non evidence based treatments for autism. Lila Barry, Dianne Pineau and Linda Robichaud at ARM will ensure that parents receive reliable information about evidence based interventions for their autistic children - and strong moral support through the tough times:

Barry and other parents of ASD children were at the office of Miramichi-Bay du Vin MLA Bill Fraser last Monday, Jan. 7 for the official funding presentation. She said the centre will especially help parents who are struggling to deal with affected children.

"As a parent you're actually trying to reach out to other parents. Parents often when they first get the diagnosis; they're always in a state of anxiety and overwhelmed with the diagnosis. They don't necessarily have anyone to turn to or don't know who to turn to once their child is diagnosed," she said.

Barry also said stress levels are very high for parents of ASD children and family separation and divorce often result. She said many parents are often desperate to get help for their children and turn to the wrong sources of information.

"It's difficult obtaining reliable, accurate information on best practices, treatment and research," she said. "So often there is some much out there on the Internet that is just garbage."

She said parents will often spend large amounts of time and money chasing worthless therapies and miracle treatments. She wants the centre to provide these parents with the right information needed to help.

autism