Mr. Mulcair Will the NDP Negotiate A New Health Accord to Include ABA for Autism Under Medicare?

September 30, 2015

Thomas Mulcair 

Leader of the Official Opposition

Dear Mr Mulcair

The Federal NDP has in the past been very helpful in addressing autism on a national level including efforts by Nova Scotia MP Peter Stoffer who worked with the late Fredericton Liberal MP Andy Scott to effect passage of a National Autism Strategy motion in the House of Commons albeit one  which did not address autism treatment coverage under Medicare.  In July 2014 I asked if the NDP would support a real National Autism Stragegy.  I receivd the following positive response from your office:

Dear Mr. Doherty,

Thank you for writing. We appreciate hearing of your advocacy work on behalf of your son and all individuals living with autism spectrum disorders.

Please be assured that New Democrats are determined to help put the needs of Autistic children on the political map. The NDP supports the continuing efforts to create a National Autism Strategy, therefore ensuring that individuals would receive the highest level of care, regardless of which region of Canada they live in.

As you mentioned, NDP MP Glenn Thibeault is helping to provide leadership on this matter along with working to have the Canada Health Act amended to include Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) and Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) as medically recognized treatments for individuals living with autism spectrum disorders. (http://glennthibeault.ndp.ca/post/thibeault-re-introduces-autism-legislation) 

Going forward you can count on our team of New Democrat MPs to continue to speak out on this matter. It’s time for leadership that will move Canada forward.

Again, thank you for taking the time to be in touch.

All the best,

Office of Thomas Mulcair, MP (Outremont)

Leader of the Official Opposition

New Democratic Party of Canada

Here in Fredericton I asked candidates in the current election the following question  as part of the Medicare for Autism Now!'s 1 in 68 campaign:

I was very pleased to receive the following excellent response to the One in 68 question from the Fredericton NDP candidate Sharon Scott-Levesque:

Hello Harold,

I wish to thank you for your message regarding the inclusion of Applied Behaviour Analysis in Medicare. As you have noted, this is an issue affecting a growing number of Canadian families, and I understand the high costs of treatment are of great concern.

As you know the Canada Health Act requires provinces to cover medically necessary services without naming any particular procedure.  This means that the decision on what to cover has been left up to the provinces, creating a patchwork system where some provinces provide coverage for Applied Behavioural Analysis and others do not.

-

I recognize that this disparity creates a hardship for families and myself and the NDP are interested in working with the provinces to see this disparity eliminated. This is definitely a subject we will raise with the provinces when we negotiate a new Health Accord.

I do support this change and hope we can work together in the future.

Regards,

Sharon Scott- Levesque RN

Fredericton NDP Candidate

Mr Mulcair, past NDP contributions have been helpful but the failure by the federal government to see that science based ABA/IBI treatment for autism is included under Medicare means that many autistid children have not received the training which could have helped improve the core deficits of their autism disorders.

NDP candidate Sharon Scott-Levesque's statement of her support is much appreciated. 

Mr. Mulcair, can you confirm that the NDP will commit to  negotiating a new  Health Accord with the provinces which will include science based ABA/IBI  treatment for autism spectrum disorder uner Medicare?

Respectfully,

Harold Doherty

Fredericton, NB

Fredericton NDP Sharon Scott-Levesque Supports ABA Coverage For Autism Under A New Canada Health Act Accord

Hello Harold,

I wish to thank you for your message regarding the inclusion of Applied Behaviour Analysis in Medicare. As you have noted, this is an issue affecting a growing number of Canadian families, and I understand the high costs of treatment are of great concern.

As you know the Canada Health Act requires provinces to cover medically necessary services without naming any particular procedure.  This means that the decision on what to cover has been left up to the provinces, creating a patchwork system where some provinces provide coverage for Applied Behavioural Analysis and others do not.

-

I recognize that this disparity creates a hardship for families and myself and the NDP are interested in working with the provinces to see this disparity eliminated. This is definitely a subject we will raise with the provinces when we negotiate a new Health Accord.

I do support this change and hope we can work together in the future.

Regards,

Sharon Scott- Levesque RN

Fredericton NDP Candidate

Thank you Sharon Scott-Levesque for supporting the inclusion of ABA for autism treatment in a new Canada Health Act accord.  Harold Doherty

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. 

Today I Voted For My Autistic Son's Future; Today I Voted NDP

Conor 18 1/2 with severe autism disorder, profound developmental delay, 

seizures, sensory issues and self aggressive behavior.  Few, if any group home 

staff would be able or inclined to provide the care he needs, A residential care and

treatment facility for Conor and other severely autistic adults with complex needs

has long been needed in New Brunswick.  In this election only the NDP have

committed to providing an autistic center to provide the care needed by 

severely autistic adults in NB; today I voted NDP.

We have long needed an autism center to provide long term residential care and treatment to severely autistic adults. A center could also provide expertise for guidance and supervision of a system of adult autism group homes with trained staff.  I have written on this blog many times over the years of the severely autistic adults who have been sent to a variety of locations the Restigouche (Campbellton) Psychiatric Hospital, hospital wards and foreign and out of province facilities like Spurwink in Maine.  It is not about money, considerable sums have been spent sending severely autistic adults far from family.   Out of sight, out of mind has ruled provincial decision making on the care of severely autistic adults. 

The road ahead will not be any easier than the road behind but change has to begin with a first step and the NDP have provided that first step in the NDP Election 2014 platform:

 "PREVENTATIVE CARE:

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

The experts say that the Liberal Party has more voter support than the second place Conservatives with the NDP a distant third.  I voted NDP anyway.  My vote was not an attempt to be on the winning side or to elect a particular party to form the government.   I voted for the New NDP today on the basis of its commitment to establish a provincial centre for the care of adults with autism.  The  New NDP is the ONLY party to make that commitment and I voted for that commitment.  

I recognize that the experts are probably right, that the Liberals ... or if the winds shift ... the PCs ... will probably ... once again form the government.  I would like to see Dominic Cardy, Kelly Lamrock, Brian Duplessis, Charles Doucet and some other NDP MLA candidates elected.

New Brunswick's New NDP does, in my opinion, have a strong team, starting with its leader Dominic Cardy who has been very impressive in the debates  but I voted for the New NDP because it is the party which is starting the serious discussion that is needed to provide a future for my son.  I am happy they did.  

I voted for my severely autistic son's future today.  I voted for Conor.  I voted NDP.