Re: Autism alberta information
 

In general, no, running two households will always be more expensive. I suppose there may be exceptional cases where the income is earned in a high tax country and the recipient of the support lives in a low tax one but I doubt many people in Canada send support payments to Bermuda or Dubai.

Re: Autism alberta information
 

I’m currently living in Jersey, The Channel Islands, I was originally looking at BC but the processing times seem quicker to get licensure for my profession in Alberta so I’m looking into Calgary for now.

Re: Autism alberta information
 

Ah well, yes, even BC might offer a better earning potential/cost of living ratio than The Channel Islands.

Re: Autism alberta information
 

My husband and I emigrated to Ontario 20 years ago. Our children were born here. Our youngest has been diagnosed with “severe autism”.
He receives help from an EA at school. I had to push hard for him to have access to an EA, which he shares with other children. I homeschool one day a week due to school anxiety and the fact he isn’t retaining much of his school work. Wait lists for assistance are very long. Some children are waiting up to 7 years for funding through the Ontario Autism Program.
We pay for Speech and OT out of pocket.
I gave up my job so that I could drive him to appointments, advocate for him and homeschool. Therapies and learning materials are very expensive. To say we have taken a hit financially would be an understatement. We are not in good shape.
Many parents of autistic children have relocated to Alberta due to wait times being much shorter than Ontario. Though what happens to those children when they become adults, I don’t know.

Our support network is in the UK. I lose sleep worrying what will happen when he ages out of the system. We would never except his older siblings to be his carer when we’re not here anymore. Wait lists for group homes are 20 years long.
We are seriously researching moving home to the UK. Like dbd33 said, the family must revolve around the needs of the person with a disability.
Fortunately our other children are on board.
Our marriage had been under immense pressure, our finances are not good and and stress levels very high. We feel life would be better for him, and possibly the rest of the family, in the UK. I know it’s not perfect, but there is a safety net there. I’ve also read that there are SEN (Special Educational Needs) colleges in the UK. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think these are available in Canada.

Forgive me if I sound resentful, but as special needs parents know, it’s an ongoing battle to try to get help for our children. I really don’t like that parents are just left to it when the child transitions to adulthood. At least in the UK, there are supports available.

Re: Autism alberta information
 

Just on a general point, while the support in the UK is being steadily dismantled, it's still a much better safety net than Canada.

Re: Autism alberta information
 

Please make contact and have a chat with these people - Hesley Group UK. There is nothing to be lost in having a conversation.

I worked for this group before emigrating .

Re: Autism alberta information
 

Thank you so much, Bevs. This looks like a terrific resource. I'm truly grateful.

I hope that my previous post didn't sound too depressing. When I said I felt resentful, I wasn't referring to my son or autism. I was expressing my frustration with the system and how it lets down our loved ones with disabilities. I'm sure that nowhere is perfect, but it's a shame that Ontario doesn't offer much support to those with disabilities.

Re: Autism alberta information
 

Marginalized groups and situations generally have a harder time being heard in Canada I have noticed. All I can suggest is find other people in the same situation and advocate for better as as a group. That generally seems to yield better results.

Re: Autism alberta information
 

No. It did not. It sounded just as one would expect from a parent who loves their offspring. You just want to be able to do the best without having to jump piles of hurdles to try and get to even a quarter of the way there.
Exhausting. Worrying. Draining. Incredibly stressful.