When seven-year-old Isaiah was adopted, his new parents knew he had some form of autism, says his mother Binc Nugent.
Isaiah is a representative of the one in 68 children currently living with autism in North America – a newly released estimate of the incidence of the condition from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The U.S. report released March 28 shows the percentage of American children being diagnosed with autism has increased by 30 per cent in two years, numbers that experts say are paralleled in Canada.
Centretown-based Autism Ontario says the federal government needs to step up and deal with the increasing needs of the autistic community.
Autism is an umbrella term for a number of brain development disorders, including Asperger Syndrome. It affects people in different ways, but common symptoms include difficulty with social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication and intellectual ability.
The one-in-68 statistic means when two elementary school classes play outside at recess, at least one of those students is likely to have some form of autism.
With more people living with autism disorders, the biggest concern is getting people the treatment they need, says Barb Davy, a spokesperson for the Ottawa Chapter of Autism Ontario, which runs programs out of the Bronson Centre.
“Having to wait a year or two to get a diagnosis, and then another year or two to get help with an autistic child, is a serious hardship,” she says.
Sen. Jim Munson advocates for the rights and needs of autistic people and says a comprehensive national strategy is needed.
The federal government does offer a tax credit for families to save money for when the autistic child becomes an adult. The newest federal budget also promises $26.4 million to make it easier for autistic adults to find employment and receive training.
Munson says the lack of a national strategy causes problems such as long wait times for diagnoses and therapy, a lack of support after the age of 18 and the financial burden for families of people with autism.
One reason for the increase in autistic children is more people are being accurately diagnosed, says Davy.
“Kids who were previously labelled and dismissed as lazy, ill-mannered, or problem children are more likely now to be recognized as having an autism spectrum disorder and get the help they need.”
Suzanne Jacobson, president of Quickstart – a group in Ottawa that works towards early intervention for children with autism – agrees that diagnoses have improved but says the rate at which the number of children with autism is increasing shows something more is going on.
“My grandson was diagnosed seven years ago and it was one in 150 at that time and now we’re at one in 68,” she says. “Even if we’re getting better (at diagnosing) that’s still a very staggering number.”
Quickstart held its second annual “Autism on the Hill”, which heard from speakers such as as Munson and Edmonton MP Mike Lake with his autistic son Jaden.
Isaiah’s mother hopes this awareness will improve current resources for kids like Jaden and her son Isaiah, which she says are not acceptable.
“If my child was diagnosed with cancer he would automatically be taken care of.”