| December 2022 Autism funding turned around On November 25 Premier Eby announced that the government will maintain individualized funding for children with an autism diagnosis instead of phasing it out in 2025 and a pause on the rollout of B.C.’s plan to establish a network of family connection centres, with the exception of the four pilots to be launched. The four pilots will be evaluated during the process. MCFD-CYSN have promised “new investments in the interim, as the new system is being developed to support children with disabilities and support needs that are currently underserved, including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (known as FASD), Down syndrome and other neuro-cognitive developmental disabilities.” At Home Program Update A temporary admission process for the At Home Program continues to be in place if an AHP assessor is not available due to redeployment. If your child is likely to be eligible for the At Home Program and appears to meet the AHP eligibility criteria, they can be temporarily admitted without an assessment until March 2025. School-Aged Extended Therapies Benefit of The At Home Program 1995 guidelines state the program “assists parents with some of the extraordinary costs of caring for a child with severe disabilities at home through a range of health supports and services.” The School-Aged Extended Therapies (SAET) benefit SAET services enhance the primary OT and PT services made available through the School Aged Therapy program and school district SLP services. Therapy services delivered through the SAET benefit must: • Not be contradictory with the child’s existing therapy plans (SAT or SAET clinicians) • Not duplicate the SAT services that are to be made available in the home, school and community • Be provided outside of the child’s school setting and educational program so as to not disrupt or jeopardize attainment of the child’s educational goals by reducing the time available for learning and accessing the curriculum. Congratulations to Janelle! Janelle and her family welcomed baby Ivy on October 4th. A healthy baby sister to Zaylee. Welcome Lindsay! Lindsay White, Speech Language Pathologist, has joined our team part time, Thursdays and Fridays. She also works for VIHA in the Health Services for Community Living program. Lindsay is also a dedicated curling coach and mother of three. Special Santa  Holiday closure We will be closed from December 23 to January 3rd to enjoy the holidays with our families. Decorating contest Our staff have decorated some holiday wreaths on display in the waiting room. Vote for your favorite, and enter to win a prize! Snow days Please drive carefully out there! If the schools close, we will close as well for everyone’s safety. If you can’t make your appointment please let us know asap. Your session could be moved to teletherapy if you wish. |
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