Times Colonist-Cuts to Autism

Scrapped autism program was unfair: Polak
By Lindsay Kines, Times Colonist
September 22, 2009
B.C. Children's Minister Mary Polak backtracked yesterday on her reasons for scrapping an early intervention program for autistic children.
Polak said last week that she killed the early intensive behavioural intervention (EIBI) program, in part, because it performed little better than less expensive services.
"We recognize, too, that we have to look at the outcomes," she told a news conference then.
"And when it comes to what was occurring with EIBI, we were not seeing any appreciable improvements in the outcomes for those kids."
Polak changed her story, however, after the ministry admitted that she was basing her comments on a four-year-old study. The research was done while EIBI was still in its infancy, and the ministry acknowledges that much has changed since then.
Faced with that, Polak now says the decision to scrap the EIBI program had nothing to do with its quality, and was solely an issue of fairness.
"Whether or not, in point of fact, there was a greater improvement or an appreciable difference between the programs was not the issue upon which we based the decision," she said. The real reason, Polak said, was that the EIBI program cost $70,000 annually for each child under six and served only 70 children in seven communities. The other 800 or more autistic pre-school children in B.C. receive $20,000 a year.
"This is an issue of equity and it's an issue of access," she said yesterday.
The government argues that by scrapping the $5-million program, it can use the money to boost intervention services to all children from $20,000 a year to $22,000 as of April 1. It will also use part of the money to set up a $1-million outreach program to improve services in rural and remote areas.
The decision to kill the program affects 22 children in Victoria and eliminates 39 full-time, part at Queen Alexandra.
NDP children's critic Maurine Karagianis said Polak's reversal shows the ministry acted too quickly and failed to consult parents.
"I think their reasons for cancelling this program are crumbling under close inspection," she said.
"And the fact that the government is now changing their tune -- backing away from their original statement -- says to me that ... there is no basis for this."
Polak said the B.C. government has increased funding for autism from $4.1 million in 2001 to $46 million this year.

lkines@tc.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist