Conservative MP Mike Lake says he can relate to an Ottawa couple who turned their 19-year-old son with autism over to the province, as his own autistic child is approaching adulthood and the uncertainty of whether he will have access to the care he needs.
Lake, MP for Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont, is the father of an autistic son, 17-year-old Jaden, and the two have made numerous media appearances in recent weeks to raise awareness about autism.
Lake said he understands the challenges experienced by Amanda Telford and her husband, who on Tuesday left their son Phillip at a government office for adults with disabilities because they can no longer provide the care that he needs.
âOne of the things we have to realize is the transition from 17 years old to 19 years old, that transition from being a child to being an adult, we canât forget that itâs the same person with the same challenges,â Lake told CTVâs Power Play Wednesday evening.
âThereâs sort of an arbitrary number in between there that defines whether theyâre a child or an adult, and then defines at the provincial level what kind of services they are going to get, and thatâs a real challenge.â
Lake said that as he watched the Telford familyâs story, he âcould totally relateâ to the challenges they face.
Programs for both children and adults with autism vary from province to province, and many services offered to autistic children end at either age 18 or 19.
Lake said the problem with that is these children face the same challenges no matter their age, and they will need a support network for the rest of their lives.
âChildren with autism become adults with autism and eventually will become senior citizens with autism. Thereâs no lifespan issue with autism,â Lake said. âAnd so politicians decide what policy choices weâre going to makeâŚthose decisions need to be made with that lifespan issue in mind.â
Jaden had support at home before the age of six, and that support continued when he began attending school, where he had a full-time aid.
Jaden is able to hold a job at a library, where he can scan, sort and distribute books. As children with autism age, treatment, which is under provincial jurisdiction, becomes less of a concern and securing full-time employment is the goal.
Lake said his family is already meeting with the provincial agency in Alberta that provides services to autistic adults. He said the Telford case highlights the fact that âfamilies like this need help.
âThey need people to understand what theyâre going through, as well, and I would say that if anything good comes out of this circumstance, itâs a greater awareness of these challenges.â