Parents of children awaiting Autism assessments say the waitlists remain long despite a provincial Autism Action Plan put in place last year.

The Autism Society says while some improvements have been made, wait times for Autism assessments remain long, forcing many families to pay out-of-pocket to get a diagnosis to avail of early intervention for their children.

Some parents are still encountering waitlists up to 22 months for the ADOS, or Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule used to diagnose and assess Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Back at the beginning of the year, Health Minister John Haggie indicated that the new plan was on track.

Navigation Manager with the Autism Society, Ashley Gosse says they’re still working through the Autism Action Plan with Health and Community Services, but COVID slowed that process down significantly.

She says part of that plan was to reduce wait times and increase diagnostic clinics, but a lot of that progress was paused due to the pandemic.

Gosse says early diagnosis and intervention are key. She says one of the biggest barriers families face for children under the age of 18 is getting a referral for a child psychologist or psychiatrist, a wait time that can take up to 22 months. Part of that problem according to Gosse is access to a family doctor.

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