Pendonk

I recently had a telephone interview with a company based in Toronto. The job is attractive and the relocation package (they pay for everything and get visas sorted) is acceptable. My main concern about accepting any offer is that I have a 5 year old child with autism and I am concerned about what facilities/education he could expect to receive if we relocated.

My son attends a special needs school just outside Bristol which caters for children with various disabilities. Earlier this year he was in mainstream school with 1-1 support, but he did not respond very well to large classrooms full of screaming kids.

I have browsed the internet for autistic schools in the Toronto area and have found several leads, but these “schools” seem to be workshops that children can attend periodically, and are not full time educational establishments. The actual schools that cater for autistic children seem to be private and are quite costly. I have located the policy for providing education to children with ASD but it is very non specific. I have addressed my questions to autismontario.com. I understand that there is a 3 year waiting list in order to receive an IBI programme, and that there are different school boards (the Peel board would be applicable to my son, not the religious option).

Can anyone advise on the level of support and education available to autistic kids in Toronto, and whether there are any costs associated with the service? What sort of school environment could I expect? Is it main stream schooling with additional support, special schooling, or main stream with no support? Does anyone have any experience in this area?

Also, and very much a secondary concern, we receive a number of benefits in the uk : disability allowance for my son, child benefit for 2 children, carers allowance (for looking after a disabled person). If I were to relocate could I expect similar allowances in Toronto?

Due to the lack of information on-line, coupled with the negative threads concerning autism on this site, it currently does not look like a viable option to accept any offer of work in Toronto.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this

dbd33

I'd be very surprised if an employer could make it worth your while to move an autistic person to Canada. I'd want an employment package that covered the cost of full time residential support for a disabled adult and I'd want cast-iron commitment to that support regardless of my dying or being fired. (Essentially a free market replacement for the government services you, as a family, would be giving up). I think you'd have to be extraordinarily valuable to the firm before that would happen. If you want to move to Canada then I think the interests of the autistic person would probably be served by leaving him or her in the UK.

And, yes, I know about autism in Ontario. Something of my experience is documented in past posts.

Pendonk

Hmmmm, I had a feeling that Canada wasn't exactly leading the world in providing services for autistic children, but I didn't think it was as bad a picture as you're painting. Leaving my son in the UK isn't really an option, so it looks like this is a non starter.

What sort of schooling could a 5 year old ASD sufferer expect?

Thanks for the info

dbd33

That depends on the school board, the usual factors, politics and luck, apply.

My daughter was in one of the French language school systems (I expect you know that in Ontario each district has four state funded school boards; English and French, Catholic and Other), the system received funding for disabled students in the same proportion as the equivalent English language system but there weren't any other nominally francophone autistic children so she had a dedicated staff of two, swimming and horse riding several times a week, a Snoozelen room, everything anyone could think of. YMMV. When last I knew, Applewood Acres in Mississauga was thought to be the best English language school for autistic students, you could give them a call to get the lay of the land.

The problem in Ontario is that after school age, 21 for autistic students, the government sends the parents $1,000 a month and leaves them to it. This is problematic for the aging parents of autistic offspring. If your work position is temporary then the issue would be the loss of place in queues of one sort or another in the UK. If it's a permanent move then how to support the autistic child when he or she is an adult becomes the issue and it's this for which I would seek funding.

gryphea

I don't want to put a dampner on things- but if he is not sutiable for mainstream schooling I think he could well fail the medical for permanent Residency

Lilipuddlian

HI there,

I am a social worker here in Ontario, and have a nephew in the UK with pretty severe autism. I would have to say that the services in the UK are much better than they are here in Canada for children w/ autism, their carers and families.

That being said, I am not an expert in autism services for children in Ontario, however, I can tell you that I am almost 100% sure that we have no formal carers allowance. Benefits per child are $100/mo. unless you fall under certain socio-economic indicators. Childcare is much more difficult to find (worst in developed nations). I hate to say it, but we just don't support families or carers well in this country.

I have heard from my UK relatives about the care my nephew gets for autism and the quality of the educational resources and I don't believe we have a parallel system here in Canada. UK appears much better, much more integrated, much more supportive.

Just my 2 cents.

dbd33

There's a respite program. If the parents can find someone to look after child then the government will pay that person directly. They pay less than minimum wage so there's a need for the parents to top it up but they will pay for a lot of hours.

Siouxie

I don't know if this is of use, but found this website that has information on Autism in Ontario.

http://www.autismontario.com/client/...ducation+Links

http://www.autismontario.com/client/...+for+Education



http://www.autismontario.com/

dave2003

I don't know if a person with autism is a someone that the federal government deems inadmissable on the grounds of future cost to the healthcare / education system. Inadmissable on the grounds of health is a frequent news item, as parents appeal such decisions. One such case occurred last year, when a French couple arrived, legally, with a small child with cerebral palsy, only to have the government order the child removed.

christmasoompa

Yes, it is - there was somebody on this forum recently whose child failed the medical because of autism.

Pendonk

Thanks for all the info guys, it's very helpful. I think that, in light of what's been said, the prospective move is very much off the cards. Can't really see an improvement in quality of life for the family.