Question Period Note: Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by communication difficulties as well as social and behavioural challenges. ASD continues to draw public and political attention as stakeholders call on the federal government for investments that enhance quality of life for Canadians living with ASD and their families.

• The Government of Canada is committed to helping all Canadians with disabilities, including those with autism spectrum disorder, as well as those who care for them and provide much needed support.
• We are investing more than $54 million to help families with autism have access to credible information, training to seek employment, and tax credits to help with some of the costs related to caring for loved ones with disabilities.
• We have also invested close to $48 million in research in the past five years, to increase the understanding of ASD as well as the capacity to treat it effectively.
• Our Government is working with the autism community and all disability communities to contribute to the shared goal of improving the health and well-being and quality of life of people living with disabilities, including autism.

Government of Canada Initiatives:
Budget 2018 announced $20 million over five years (2018-2023) in funding to support two new initiatives: 1) The Autism-Intellectual-Developmental Disabilities National Resource and Exchange (AIDE) Network ($10.9 million/5 years) will be operational in March 2020 providing access to online resources, an inventory of services, supports, employment opportunities and local programming for families across the country. In addition, six AIDE Network locations across Canada will provide a point of access for Canadians to obtain resources and supports on ASD.
2) The ASD Strategic Fund is providing $9.1 million over 5 years for community-based projects that pursue innovative program models, help reduce stigma, and integrate health, social and educational components to better serve the complex needs of families. One example is the Caregiver Skills Training (CST) project from McGill University that will provide evidence-based skills training for caregivers of children with ASD offering strategies and solutions that can address practical needs and challenges.

Research and Surveillance:
The Government of Canada, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, invested close to $48 million in research related to ASD between 2014-15 and 2018-19. In the past two years, there has been an investment of close to $23 million in research to increase the understanding of ASD as well as the capacity to treat it effectively. For example, a CIHR-funded research team led by Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum from the University of Alberta developed a tool for detecting ASD at a very early age, which has enabled families to access critical resources and services early, positively impacting their children’s development.

CIHR-funded researchers are also developing innovative technologies for children with ASD and their families. For instance, an interdisciplinary team led by Dr. Francois Bolduc from the University of Alberta is creating an artificial intelligence-based interactive ‘chatbot’ that will allow persons with ASD (and other neurodevelopmental disorders), their families, health professionals and teachers to better navigate the healthcare system by identifying personalized interventions and resources.

Through Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, CIHR and its partners are investing in CHILD-BRIGHT, an innovative pan-Canadian network that aims to improve life outcomes for children with brain-based developmental disabilities and their families. The network’s many projects include:
• “Ready 2 Work”, an online vocational/employment readiness platform developed alongside self-advocates with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), their families, and professionals who operate vocational programs for young people with ASD.
• “MEGA TEAM”, which is evaluating whether a take-home video game can improve executive functioning in children with ASD.

On March 29, 2018, PHAC published the first National Autism Spectrum Disorder Surveillance System report. This federal, provincial and territorial partnership addresses a critical knowledge gap, which will support governments, professionals, health care providers, service providers, educators, communities and stakeholders in meeting the needs of those with ASD. The report provides, for the first time, national data on the number (i.e., prevalence) of children and youth ages 5-17 years living with ASD, based on data collected in 2015 from six provinces and one territory. Key findings highlight that 1 in 66 children and youth have been diagnosed with ASD in Canada.

PHAC has provided $102,189 in the form of a contribution agreement to the Canadian Paediatric Society, to develop ASD Guidelines for early detection and screening, diagnosis as well as post-diagnosis follow-up. The guidelines were released publicly and to health care professionals in October 2019.

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC): Employment Support (through the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities Program) To improve employment outcomes for persons with intellectual disabilities and ASD, Budget 2019 proposes to provide $12 million over three years, starting in 2019–20, to the Canadian Association for Community Living, in partnership with the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance for the Ready, Willing and Able (RWA) program. RWA is a national employment program for persons with intellectual disabilities and ASD.

ESDC Accessible Canada Act (An Act to Ensure a Barrier-Free Canada):
Under the leadership of the Minister of Accessibility, the Government of Canada passed legislation that will transform how the Government of Canada addresses accessibility. The goal of this legislation is to increase the inclusion and participation of all people in Canada, including people with disabilities, and promote equality of opportunity by increasing accessibility and proactively identifying, removing and preventing barriers in areas of federal jurisdiction. The Act received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019.

The Government of Canada supports initiatives that are intended to improve the participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of Canadian society through the Disability component of the Social Development Partnerships Program (SDPP-D). The SDPP-D is a grant and contribution program that provides funding to not-for-profit organizations to address the social issues and barriers facing persons with disabilities. Since 1998, Autism Society Canada has received operating funding through SDPP-D. In April 2019, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility announced operating funding of $18 million over three years (starting in 2019-20) for 28 national not-for-profit disability organizations through the SDPP-D. Under this announcement, Autism Society Canada will receive operating funding of $350,000 over three years. Other organizations supporting individuals with ASD, such as Autism Speaks Canada ($500,000) and the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance ($328,768) will also receive core funding under the program.

National Housing Strategy (NHS):
Under the NHS, the $13.2 billion National Housing Co-Investment Fund provides low-cost loans and contributions for new construction and retrofit of affordable housing. The Co-Investment Fund is targeted to create at least 2,400 new affordable housing units for persons with developmental disabilities. Low-income people living with disabilities will also benefit from funding initiatives for community housing, federal housing investments in provincial and territorial programs, and the upcoming Canada Housing Benefit.

Provincial Funding for ASD:
All provinces provide ASD-specific funding for a range of services and supports with current investments focused on interventions, services and education supports for pre-school and school-aged children. While the three territories do not have any ASD-specific funding, they do have supports for broader disability services, which includes ASD.

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