Several rallies were held across Ontario on Friday to protest the province’s impending changes to funding for autism treatment in Canada, including one in Kitchener.
Dozens of people attended the noon-hour rally at Carl Zehr Square.
Among them was Janet McLaughlin, whose four-year-old son has been on a waiting list for intensive behavioural intervention, also known as IBI therapy.
“We’ve been told that this therapy will be the best shot at giving children potential in life,” McLaughlin said in an interview.
Changes recently announced by the province will limit IBI eligibility to children between the ages of two and four.
McLaughlin and other parents say that will have a detrimental impact on their children.
“We believe that this is a very effective therapy for our children, and it remains effective even when they turn five,” she said.
It is estimated that 2,200 children in Ontario will no longer be eligible for IBI treatment.
