Joyful, engaging and informative characterized ARO’s Aug. 8, 2010 Autism Action Evening, with the event creating awareness about autism service gaps and advocacy actions, inspiring the audience to pursue self empowerment, and featuring a passionate performance by a sensational singer.

The evening began with a report on the status of the autism crisis in Ontario, as reflected by the issues we are all very familiar with: the extreme IBI program waitlists; the premature discharge of children from the IBI program without clinically driven cause; the lack of sufficient, individualized and authentic ABA in schools; the exclusion of thousands of kids with autism from the IBI program; and, the lack of regulation of the ABA field. Following that was a review of ARO’s advocacy accomplishments to date, and a look at its future plans in this area.

Seasoned peace activist James Loney of Christian Peacemaker Teams shared with the audience that bondage, as discussed in the bible, can take many different forms, and that we have the inner strength and power to peacefully yet assertively stand up to oppressors and pursue that to which we are entitled.

Screenings of ARO’s two documentaries, Jaiden’s Story: The Struggle for ABA Therapy in Ontario, and Shut Out: Failing Kids with Autism In Ontario, reflected the ongoing autism services gaps of, respectively, the extreme wait for publicly funded ABA, and the premature termination of children’s ABA therapy.

Singer Samantha Mutis shared her story of overcoming challenges
related to her Asperger's Syndrome, and delivered a sensational
performance of John Lennon's "Imagine"

Singer Samantha Mutis, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at age 4, spoke eloquently about how she has overcome personal challenges to access a prestigious university program in performance/jazz vocal, and become a coveted speaker and successful singer, and made an important point about the value of hard work. Her performance of John Lennon’s classic song about hope and unity, “Imagine”, was soulful and inspiring, and moved the crowd.

On April 1, 2010, ARO held a press conference at Queen's Park.

You can also watch this video on YouTube. 

ARO founder Sharon Ashaiek speaks to Rogers First Local News about waitlists for IBI therapy.

“Stop the autism crisis! ABA NOW!”

This rallying cry echoed across Queen’s Park today as parents of Autism Resolution Ontario demonstrated against Ontario’s inadequate, neglectful and harmful autism “intervention” policies at the G20 protest.

Despite the confiscation of ARO’s banner poles by police, which were deemed as potential weapons, and ongoing rain, ARO parents persisted in sharing their mission to achieve more accessible ABA therapy for kids with autism in this province with the public and other protesters, and our public display also attracted the attention of media.

ARO was in good company, immersed in the brightly coloured flags and banners, vibrant music and protest chants in English and various native tongues of demonstrators representing countries such as Tibet, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Turkey, who were voicing their frustrations with human rights violations, minority persecution and corrupt and/or discriminatory government regimes worldwide. The Canadian Labour Congress, Oxfam, Greenpeace and other groups were also at the rain-soaked, cop-saturated, media-filled park to take a stand for social justice, protection of the environment and an end to poverty and hunger.

ARO’s G20 protest action is part of our main strategy of leading an ongoing, high-impact, province-wide creative protest campaign to promote the need for timely, sufficient, high-quality and individualized government-funded ABA therapy for kids with autism in all relevant environments, including school. As we continue to move further into non-violent direct action, we invite you to join us in this movement for better treatment and social justice for kids with autism. Stay up to date on our future civil disobedience training sessions and actions via our e-newsletter and our website.

Parent members of Autism Resolution Ontario connected directly with ASD families and spread the word about its advocacy movement at the 2010 Autism Speaks walk in Ontario. Several families visited ARO’s information table to learn more about its initiative to achieve timely, sufficient, high-quality and individualized publicly funded ABA therapy for kids with autism in Ontario, and to find out how to get involved. As well, practising and aspiring ABA providers, educators and other professionals who work with ASD kids expressed their support of ARO’s efforts and their interest in joining in. A big thank you goes out to Kiri and Bariah for their help in making ARO’s presence at the walk a success.

If the legislature and the courts won’t ensure that our children have full equality, it’s up to us as parents to make sure they do. Creative Protest and Nonviolent Direct Action is an introductory workshop on elevated levels of protest, including civil disobedience, which many of us are considering as we face an increasingly intransigent government. The U.S. civil rights movement engaged in such tactics to arouse the conscience of a nation and achieve major victories, and we have much to learn from that history.

Matthew Behrens of Homes not Bombs has provided such training for more than 25 years for community groups interested in going beyond standard, “acceptable” forms of protest to engage in the kinds of activities that are part of a time-honoured tradition of peaceful resistance that, history shows, does make a difference.

Date: Wednesday, April 21

Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Location: Thornhill Community Centre
                  7755 Bayview Avenue,
                 (Northeast corner of Bayview Avenue and John Street)
                 Map

To learn more: Sharon Aschaiek, 905-370-9871, sharon@autismresolutionontario.com

On April 1—on the eve of World Autism Awareness Day as well as ARO’s one-year anniversary—ARO will be holding a press conference to follow up on the results of the One-Year Challenge it issued to the McGuinty government last year to significantly improve autism services by April 2, 2010.

When: Thursday, April 1, 9:30 a.m.

Where: Queen’s Park Media Studio

To reserve a spot in the media studio, please contact Sheila White at 416-325-2777

We are very happy to announce that ARO is back online after recovering from some technical challenges.  Thank you for your patience during this time!

This website glitch provided us with an opportunity to enhance AutismResolutionOntario.com to make it more relevant and user-friendly, and a more powerful tool for advocating for children with autism in Ontario. So, you'll see a few new features throughout the website, and you can expect a few more upgrades over the next few days.

New Features:

• Enhanced Polls system
• Updated newsletter archive
• Improved newsletter registration system
• Integrated audio/video system

Regards,
Cary Stein - ARO Webmaster

Toronto recently held its first-ever Forum for Hispanic People with Disabilities, and Sharon Aschaiek of ARO was there to present about what it’s like to raise a child with autism in Ontario.

Held at the North York Civic Centre, the event attracted hundreds of members of the GTA’s Hispanic community who heard about Aschaiek’s tale of years-long wait lists for service, premature termination of therapy without evidence-based cause, and a severe lack of ABA instruction and support in schools.

Toronto’s disability community gathered together for the city’s 5th annual International Day of People with Disabilities celebration, and ARO was on hand to raise awareness about gaps in autism services.

Taking place at Variety Village at 3701 Danforth Ave., the event attracted many families who were keen to learn about ABA inaccessibility in Ontario, or who work with children with autism and are interested in collaborating with ARO to better support them.

During the event, Sharon Aschaiek of ARO had the opportunity to speak directly with David Onley, Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor, and a staunch advocate for more accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Mr. Onley showed much interest in ARO’s movement and supported ARO’s efforts to make Ontario a better place for children with autism.

The plight of children with autism in Ontario struggling to access publicly funded ABA therapy was raised among ABA professionals at the 2009 ONTABA conference.

Sharon Aschaiek of ARO shared with many ABA therapists the challenges kids with autism face in accessing timely, sufficient and individualized government-subsidized ABA, including years of waiting to get into the ABA program, premature discharge from the program without sufficient evidence-based cause, and a severe lack of ABA instruction and supports in school.

ARO participated in the event as part of its campaign to enlist the support of ABA professionals in advocating for better access to ABA, and several therapists who attended the conference expressed interest in supporting ARO’s movement.

The facts of ABA inaccessibility and the opportunity to achieve meaningful change for children with autism in Ontario were presented by ARO to Toronto’s Somali Parent Support Group.

Sharon Aschaiek of ARO spoke with the women of the support group about the ongoing challenges kids with autism face in having their basic developmental needs met. The women in the group shared their stories about their children being ejected from publicly funded ABA therapy after six months, and not being adequately supported in their schools.

The parents of the support group were keen to work with ARO to make Ontario a better place for children with autism.

ARO had the opportunity to participate at the first-ever AutismOne and Autism Canada conference, and event for parents and professionals focusing on the care, treatment, recovery and prevention of autism.  Many families, ABA therapists and other autism professionals were eager to learn about ARO’s movement to make publicly funded ABA therapy more accessible in Ontario.  Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped to organize and execute ARO’s involvement in this important awareness-raising event.

As the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) undergoes a public consultation review process, ARO is emphasizing the importance of making it more inclusive, so that it fully addresses the needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

At one such public consultation held in Toronto on Oct. 14, Sharon Aschaiek presented to review process leader Charles Beer, former minister of community and social services, on the need to ensure that this act, which aims to make Ontario fully accessible by 2025, requires all public spaces to be equipped to serve individuals with autism, as their needs are not currently being met by other legislation. In particular, Aschaiek focused on the need to ensure public schools are equipped to accommodate students with autism, so that their right under the Ontario Education act to a public education can be respected.

During Autism Awareness Month, ARO reveals what all Ontarians should know about the disturbingly poor state of autism services in province

Toronto ON — With October being Autism Awareness Month in Canada, Ontarians should be aware of the increasingly large gaps in services for children with autism in this province.

(Toronto, ON Sept. 14, 2009)—Recently, Autism Resolution Ontario and Ontario Autism Coalition asked the candidates in the Sept. 17, 2009 provincial by-election in the riding of St. Paul’s three questions pertaining to making prompt, sufficient and individualized government-funded ABA therapy more accessible to children with autism in Ontario. In particular, we wanted to know their opinions and intentions related to three core issues: the extreme wait for publicly funded ABA therapy, the premature discharge of children from therapy without sufficient evidence-based cause, and the severe lack of authentic ABA-based instruction and support in schools. To read our letter and questions to the candidates, click here.

Toronto is home to North America's first Abilities Church, a place of worship that embraces the entire community, and Autism Resolution Ontario was able to participate in the launch of this exciting and progressive initiative.

The Thornhill Post
By Ann Ruppenstein

Three-year-old Jaiden Aschaiek is the subject of a new documentary, Jaiden’s Story: The Struggle for ABA Therapy in Ontario. The Thornhiller is just one of 1,500 children with autism who is being wait-listed for provincially subsidized autism therapy. The list outnumbers the 1,300 kids who are currently receiving applied behaviour analysis (ABA) therapy, the most effective form of treatment.

On August 21, 2009, Autism Resolution Ontario participated in City Mix 2009, an annual Toronto event organized by Community Living Toronto that took place at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto and is geared towards promoting social inclusion of people of all abilities.

Jim Carrier speaks with Sharon Aschaiek of ARO about Jaiden's Story documentary

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Laurie Walsh, host of Niagara at Noon, speaks with Sharon Aschaiek of ARO about Jaiden's Story documentary

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New documentary reveals full impact of autism therapy waitlist crisis
Film developed by Ontario families exposes harm caused by provincial government’s neglectful policies that force children to wait years for vital therapy

The Toronto Star (editorial)

There are more autistic children on a waiting list to get government-funded therapy than there are children actually receiving the one-on-one help.

Canoe.ca Health
Written by: Romina Maurino, THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO - The backlog of autistic children waiting for crucial therapy in Ontario is growing and in some cases leaving parents to pick up the tab for costly treatment.

More than 1,500 children with autism in Ontario are waiting for years to receive government-funded ABA therapy, and as a result, they are regressing in their skills and missing out on the chance to live a normal life, says Sharon Aschaiek of Autism Resolution Ontario.

The Liberal - By Kim Zarzour

A group of York Region parents would like you to imagine this:
You've just been diagnoed with cancer. To get chemotherapy you'll have to go on a waiting list behind 1,400 others. To move up the list, someone ahead of you has to dia or get better - three years or longer.

View/Download the PDF>>

Autism Resolution Ontario (ARO) participated in the 2009 Autism Speaks walk on Sunday, June 7, and had the opportunity to connect with many families seeking serious change for their children.

Parents, relatives and friends of children with autism shared their experiences of their kids waiting for years to receive government-subsidized ABA, of not qualifying for publicly funded ABA even though they have a diagnosis of autism, of waiting years for therapy and then having it terminated after just a year or so of service, of not being able to access sufficient and suitable ABA-based instruction in school, and much more. Many families of preteens, teenagers and adults on the spectrum talked about how they haven't been able to access any subsidized ABA for their children.

David Peterson speaks with Sharon Aschaiek about the launch of Autism Resolution Ontario

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Father Fights To Avoid "Autism Abyss" As Desperate Parents Gather At Queen's Park

MPP France Gélinas speaks about World Autism Awareness Day and the work of Autism Resolution Ontario in the Ontario Legislature
April 2, 2009

Upon its launch, Autism Resolution Ontario wrote to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty about urgent need to improve public ABA accessibility for children with autism, and its initiative to achieve positive change in this area.

New autism advocacy group launches
Parent-run initiative focused on making main autism therapy more accessible