HELP GIVE A CHILD THE GIFT OF SPEECH

Children living with autism gain the ability to express themselves

Currently, in Manitoba, due to long waitlists and a lack of providers, children under the age of 5 wait over a year or more to access publicly funded therapies including speech therapy, after receiving a diagnosis. Some children turn 5 while on the waitlist and then are no longer able to access supports through that avenue. School divisions in Manitoba are responsible for providing therapies to children from the age of 5-18. Due to the overwhelming number of children needing support, some children living with a disability who do not have high enough needs, do not have access to therapy through this avenue. Children that are able to access support this way find the services they receive consultative in nature and see the therapist only once every month or once every couple of months. Access to weekly therapy sessions can dramatically change a child’s life and improve their ability to speak.

Background

On average, it costs 4 to 5 times more to raise a child living with a disability because so many costs related to their care and development are not covered or insufficiently covered by government, school divisions, healthcare and/or insurance. Families try their best to provide for their child but each one of them is impacted by economic disadvantage. All children diagnosed with a disability require some type of therapy to help them reach their potential. Children diagnosed with autism often require access to speech therapy to learn to communicate. There are other non-profit organizations in the city helping children living with a disability, however, we are unaware of any other organization specifically providing access to therapies for children. This a critical service especially during the early childhood period. Children living with a disability deserve to access therapies that have been doctor recommended to support their growth, development and overall well-being and not have cost be a barrier. In addition, COVID-19 made it extremely challenging for children living with autism to have their therapy sessions due to lockdown periods and virtual services which did not work for all children.

The good deed

When our organization realized access to therapies was a huge unmet need for children living with autism, we began to specifically target outreach efforts to let families know we were able to help. In less than 5 years we have seen a 128% increase in the number of children we are assisting including requests for speech therapy for children living with autism. Specific benefits of speech therapy for children living with autism include increased self-confidence in their communication skills, increased ability to participate at school, at home and in the community including sharing their ideas, playing appropriately with siblings and peers and helping out at home. Other benefits are increasing independence at school and at home, relying less on the constant support of their parents, siblings or teachers for help, developing eagerness to try new things related to an increased ability to complete tasks independently and increasing self-reliance.