City hall and the Peace Tower lit up in blue to shine awareness on autism earlier this month, marking the first year Canada has recognized the United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day.
In 2007, the UN declared April 2 as a day dedicated to raising awareness of the disorder. And in October, the House of Commons passed Bill S-206, which officially brought the date to Canadian calendars. These efforts come in light of a 78-per-cent increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism over the past six years, according to Autism Speaks Canada. The disorder now affects one in 88 of all children and one in 54 boys.
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental brain disorder that affects communication, social understanding and behaviour skills to varying degrees. The incurable condition is caused by a combination of genes and environmental factors.
Mayor Jim Watson says one of the goals of shining a blue light on city hall’s Heritage Building was to get people curious about the disorder.
“People will see the building lit up and they’ll ask why,” says Watson. “It gets people talking about autism.”
Light It Up Blue is a global initiative, launched by Autism Speaks in 2010, to raise awareness of the growing health concern. To show support, historic landmarks, buildings and bridges across the world turn blue, the official colour of autism awareness.
“Autism is not scary,” says Jody Brenton, of Autism Ontario-Ottawa located in the Bronson Centre. “It’s not this big, bad thing that everybody thinks it is.”
Centretown resident Joanne Small-Greenall has two “low-functioning” children below the age of 10 who are at the severe end of the autism spectrum.
Asked how Ottawa ranks in terms of availability of resources for autistic children, Small-Greenall says there are many services available, but not for those who are severely autistic.
The programs the government funds tend to privilege those who are “higher-functioning” while Small-Greenall says she has had to fight for resources for kids at the far end of the spectrum.
“I know when the government is splitting the bill they think, ‘Oh we are serving kids with autism,’ but when you actually break that down and see who they are serving, you see there is a huge deficit and huge problem in Ottawa,” she says.
Many autistic adults at the lower end of the spectrum tend to live in Centretown so they can access city and community services, according to Brenton.
One resource that Autism Ontario-Ottawa offers is a registry for people with autism in partnership with the Ottawa police.
Through the program, families can go online and upload a photograph of their child as well as some key information that can help police understand the individual better if an emergency situation arises.
The registry started as a pilot program in 2010 after parents and families in the community pushed for it, says Ottawa police Sgt. Jamie Dunlop.
In one case, a police officer was able to talk a child into putting down a knife by discussing hockey cards, which he knew from the registry that the boy liked.
“They are not violent on purpose; it’s part of the condition, and knowing what they like can help us communicate better with them,” Dunlop says.
The registry also helps police locate autistic children with wandering tendencies.
Ottawa was the first city in Ontario to adopt the program and it has since inspired jurisdictions across Canada to implement similar registries.
One of the biggest challenges families face is the cost of the services available, because they are privatized, says Dr. Melanie Stewart of Kent Chiro-Med Wellness Clinic at Kent and James streets. Stewart does sensory integration with autistic children.
“These programs are expensive and parents are stressed because they are strapped for cash, but they know their child needs these things,” she says.
In addition to raising awareness, World Autism Awareness Day generates funds to support families who are affected by autism.
“The number of people being diagnosed is shocking for all Canadians, and we need to do something to help these kids. Because 20 years down the road our society is going to have a huge problem and who is going to be paying for it?” Small-Greenall asks.
“We need to do something, and having a day dedicated to autism is a good start.”