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But that chance is now off the table for autistic kids over the age of five. Why? Because an “expert panel” convened by Minister of Children and Youth Services Tracy MacCharles — which included no representation from groups such as the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis — reviewed the scientific literature and concluded that children over the age of five are less likely to benefit from IBI than kids aged two to four.

When it comes to autism, as with any condition, early intervention is optimal. But though starting IBI later may be less effective, it does not mean it is ineffective. Just ask Tia Riopelle of Uxbridge, Ont., whose daughter, Jolie-Anne, has been doing IBI for two years — since she turned five, the age at which the government now deems kids ineligible for IBI.

“It has meant everything. Before IBI, we had a non-verbal child who only had eye contact with her parents, who pinched upwards to 150 to 200 times a day, who would not play with other children. Within first six months of IBI, we began to see words and eye contact with other people. I now have a child who can name her friends, ask to see her friends, want to play with her friends and ask for things she wants in six-word phrases, where there was a time in our life we didn’t think that was even going to be possible,” said Riopelle. “For me, as a mother, it lifted the fog that was always hanging over us. IBI is not to make her neurotypical, but now she can tell me what her wants are, if she’s hurting, if she needs to go to a doctor. It has made me a better mother and a happy mother because I am not depressed and fearful for her future.”