Team Trudeau Has Ignored Its 2015 Commitment to a National Autism Strategy

Fredericton Liberal Matt DeCourcey: Liberal Party Committed to A National Autism Strategy Addressing Access to ABA/IBI

Fredericton Liberal Candidate Matt DeCourcey

Email received October 2, 2015 from Fredericton Liberal Candidate Matt DeCourcey stating Liberal Party supports creation of a National Autism Strategy addressing ABA and IBI access and coverage under Medicare:

Hi Harold,

Thank you for the email. I apologize for the delay in my response. I want to let you know that the Liberal Party and I fully support the creation of a national autism strategy. Our party recognizes that in certain provinces, autism treatments, including ABA and IBI are covered under provincial Medicare programs and are more readily available in other provinces. Health care access challenges like these are something that the Liberal Party is committed to addressing.

First and foremost, we need a conversation that goes beyond simply mirroring previously made commitments. We need a partner in the federal government that is committed to innovation and collaboration with the provinces and territories to achieve a modern, efficient, equitable system of universal health care. The Liberal Party is committed to that collaboration.

A Liberal government will re-engage the provinces after 10 years of Stephen Harper neglect. We will meet on Canadian health care and negotiate a new Health Accord with the provinces and territories, including an agreement on long-term funding. Furthermore, our party is committed to pan-Canadian collaboration on health innovation. We will work with provincial jurisdictions to overcome obstacles to innovation in health care delivery and access.

Thank you again for your email. I hope that I’ve helped to clarify the Liberal Party’s position on support for those living with autism. If you have any further questions please reach out.

Best,

Matt

NEVER ASSUME !

NEVER ASSUME!

NEVER ASSUME. This morning I heard a hard coughing noise from Conor who was having breakfast in the next room and watching a movie on tv. Alarm bells went off in my mind and I could hear the words NEVER ASSUME as I jumped up to check on him. He was OK and Dad fixed the coughing problem with a glass of cold water.

 I never assume anything anymore after Conor suffered gran mal seizures but I could also literally see the face of my former boss the late J. Gordon Petrie and hear him speaking the words NEVER ASSUME. I was working with his law firm in the mid 80's. Shortly after I started he assigned me a file to look at and I made an assumption about one aspect of the file. Gordon spoke with me calmly but firmly in a 1 on 1 meeting that evening and gave me a look only Gordon could do and said ... NEVER ASSUME. I will never forget those words and they come in handy in all aspects of life especially providing care for Conor with his complex autism, limited speech and epilepsy.

Important Information for Allleged "Autism" Researchers

Important information for autism researchers seeking to capture the full autism spectrum of disorders in their studies:

"much of what is known about the older autistic adult population is based on (1) self-report studies, which exclude those without the ability to participate through survey methods (e.g. Lever & Geurts, 2016b; Wise et al., 2017)"

Prevalence of physical and mental health conditions in Medicare-enrolled, autistic older adults