BY RON NICHOLSON
GUEST OPINION
I would like to bring to the public's attention the meager wage that the Department of Education is paying tutors that work with pre-school children with autism here on P.E.I. Currently the province is only paying $11.75 an hour. It is an obscene wage considering the fundamental importance of early intervention therapy for these children.
Early intervention sets the tone for the rest of their lives. It gives them the tools to thrive, and perhaps one day lose their autism diagnosis if the intervention is comprehensive enough.
The reality here on P.E.I. is that many of these children are slipping between the proverbial cracks. They often show up in the school system with severe behavioral problems. Problems that would often not exist, or at least be greatly diminished, with proper therapy in their pre-school years.
Many of them will end up tethered to an educational assistant due to their challenges - at great cost to an already strained system. As these children grow to adulthood they require continuous care. Many of them end up in group homes and institutions as their parents age and are no longer able to care for their needs. And again, at a high cost to a system already under crisis.
The human factor can't be measured in dollars. Autism can be a cruel disorder, a disorder that can rob these children of the essential tools to communicate with their peers. Most of them have extreme social anxiety due to not being given proper early intervention while their little minds were still malleable.
It doesn't have to be like this. With comprehensive early intervention, many of these problems will dissolve. They can lose their diagnosis and grow into contributing members of society. They can learn the social niceties that allow them to connect with others in a meaningful way.
We are wasting the potential of these beautiful little minds. The province needs to step up and pay a wage that will attract those that are trained to work with these children. We have an 11-year-old with an autism diagnosis. We see first-hand what can be. We were able to get on him early and give him the tools that he needs to be successful. The keystone to his success was our ability to pay the extra to attract a trained professional. Had the status quo prevailed he would not be where he is today.
The province must resolve this issue by paying a fair wage to attract those that have the needed skill set. It is a wise investment. An investment that will pay dividends for the rest of these children's lives.
- Ron Nicholson, Heatherdale, is a parent of an 11-year-old child with autism.
