The Liberal government continues to kick children with autism over the age of 5 off the waitlist for intensive IBI therapy.

Parents who were promised access to this therapy have been coming to Queen’s Park for weeks and sharing their emotional and often tragic stories. The Liberal government should be doing the right thing for these vulnerable children and their families. Every child should have access to the therapy they were promised because it’s the right thing to do.

It also happens to make sense.

As Finance Critic for the Ontario NDP, I want to highlight another argument for immediate funding of the new Ontario Autism Program: the economic case.

Studies have shown that despite its price tag, IBI therapy is very cost effective.

A 2006 study found that expanding IBI therapy to all children with autism in Ontario would save over $45 million, due to lower overall support costs for individuals with autism who have benefitted from IBI.

Another study from 2007 showed that funding intensive therapy for all children with autism in the state of Texas would save approximately $208,500 per student over their 18 years of public education – a total of nearly $2.1 billion if applied to the estimated 10,000 children with autism in Texas.

While the upfront cost of IBI therapy is high, the long-term savings would be enormous because the gains made by children with autism in intensive therapy would significantly decrease the burden on our social assistance and special education programs in the longer term.

As parents continue to tell us, we can either pay now or pay later.

Documents from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services reveal that almost 80% of the Liberals’ so-called “historic” $333 million investment in autism services will not happen until after the next election.

Less than 10% of that total is being spent this year. In fact, only $5.3 million will be spent this year on making IBI therapy more available for children under 5.

Part of the Liberal government’s plan includes a one-time offer of $8,000 to families kicked off the IBI waitlist. Those payments make up over half of what the government has budgeted for this year.

The vast majority of families cannot afford the estimated $50,000 per year required for IBI therapy.

The government’s offer is insulting to those families. But it’s also revealing. The offered amount is insufficient in even meeting their own expert panel’s recommendation that IBI therapy be delivered for a minimum of one year to be effective.

By choosing to not invest in IBI therapy immediately, they are choosing not to help thousands of kids with autism unlock their potential. When parents call this move callous, they are not wrong.

The sham of Wynne’s new Ontario Autism Program is that it promises more money but actually delays investment while forcing thousands of families to sacrifice their children’s futures.

That is cynical. It breaks the trust of parents who know that, despite the life-changing outcomes that IBI therapy would mean for their children, their potential does not matter to this Premier and her government.

The smart money is on investing in IBI therapy immediately, providing access for every child stuck on a waiting list, and realizing the massive savings and increased potential down the road when we invest in Ontario’s greatest resource: our children.

- Fife is the NDP Finance Critic, and the MPP for Kitchener-Waterloo