The signs started showing up when Suzanne Jacobson’s grandson was only 16 months old.
“When we called his name, there was no response. He was retreating more into his own world and we could just no longer reach him,” she said.
The toddler was referred to the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre, where, months later, he was diagnosed with autism.
While the family waited for diagnosis, there was no help offered, said Jacobson. QuickStart, a program that offers early intervention for autism, was born.
“We now have a pre-diagnosis centre here in Ottawa,” said Jacobson, its executive director.
Jacobson was a key speaker in a non-partisan event at Parliament Hill yesterday to mark Autism Awareness Day Friday and to raise awareness of the growing number of autism cases being diagnosed and the lack of services for children with autism.
The program has seen more than 200 Ottawa-area children to date.
“There’s no reason why we cannot treat autism within our own communities equitably across the nation,” said event organizer Senator Jim Munson. “There is a crisis and I know that we can come up with a plan to deal with the issue that is so important to all of us.”
